


When Lightning Strikes the Water

by Spotofpaint



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-05-31 18:05:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 159,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6481303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spotofpaint/pseuds/Spotofpaint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sorey and Mikleo have always cared for one another, but when their enemies start using those feelings against them will the pair crumble under the weight of malevolence, or will they use the hardship to transform their relationship into something more?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: A Frightening Dream

((Note from the author: Hey guys! Spotofpaint here. Wanted to let all my readers know that I'm currently transitioning over from Fanfiction.net per a few fans who requested that I do so. Currently this is the only story I'm planning on transitioning over, and it's already proving to be a TON of work with the HTML coding and the paragraph spacing issues. So bear with me as I have to edit the formatting for every single chapter. With that being said, I already have 18 chapters completely written and posted on the other site, as such all I have to do is edit them and carry them over here. That shouldn't take too long, so there will be very quick updates on this story until all 18 chapters are up. After that updates will slow down considerably since this story is still in process. But don't fret, my wife and I've been able to get a new chapter posted approximately once a week. Hope you enjoy!))

** Chapter 1 **

A Frightening Dream

The power of malevolence that rolled off of Heldalf came like a tidal wave. And when it hit them, it was like being struck by a brick wall. The pain was instantaneous, and it overtook Mikleo’s body like a virus. He, and the other seraphs with them, immediately collapsed to the ground. Crippled by the sheer, overwhelming power of it, he could barely find it within himself to breathe. The weight was so heavy, so suffocating that inhaling was nearly impossible. One hand clutching at his chest, his body trembled as the other clawed at the dirt ground of Glaivend Basin. Against his own stubbornness, he let out a groan of misery, and for just a second, he was focused on his own wretchedness.

But that was only until he heard Sorey make a retching noise. 

With great difficulty, he turned his head, his white cheek still against the ground. His bright purple eyes shifted to the handsome shepherd that he held so dear. And there he found him on his hands and knees, looking as crippled as the rest of them. His body was shaking too, and he gave into his sickness in a way that only a human could: by vomiting up his last meal. 

He was weak and trembling, his skin pale from the onslaught of malevolence around them. And he appeared so miserable that Mikleo’s heart immediately went out to him, and in turn, he forgot his own anguish. 

“Sorey…” he groaned. 

Worry overtaking him, Mikleo called up whatever seraphic power he still had within him. Although the malevolence was truly far too thick for him to work any of his artes through, if he could only find the strength to stand, then at the very least, he could go to Sorey’s side. 

Pushing himself up on trembling arms, he shoved the pain and the fear aside. Sorey needed him, and that was all that mattered.

Mikleo saw the other’s out of the corner of his eye trying to stand and rise too, but Lailah fell back down to the earth when she tried. Edna and Zaveid were no better off. But Mikleo’s determination, or perhaps it was his devotion, allowed him to call up just enough holy power to stand and fight through the thickened blackness of evil around them. 

Still wincing, and still hunched over in pain, he managed to put one foot forward. One hand still clutching at his chest where he struggled to breathe, he stumbled toward his love. Steadily, slowly, he made his way over. 

“Sorey…” he groaned. “We need to retreat. Heldalf’s too powerful for us. We should get out of here while we still can.”

But oddly, Sorey didn’t respond and he didn’t turn to face Mikleo. Instead, he looked around himself with confusion entering his green eyes. Wiping the mess away from his mouth, he struggled to stand up. Instinctively, Mikleo reached out to help him, but to his complete and utter horror, he watched as his hand passed right through his shoulder. His purple eyes widened with instant and striking alarm.

“What?!”

“Mikleo?” Sorey suddenly asked the air around him, as if he didn’t see the seraph who was standing right beside him. “Mikleo? Everyone?”

Mikleo’s heart started to pound in his chest as the fear overtook him. It raced through his veins so fast that he hardly could even process what was happening as he instinctively called out to his childhood friend,

“I’m right here!”

“Lailah? Edna? Zaveid?”

“We’re here! We’re right here!” Mikleo cried again. Once more, out of desperation, he reached out to his human companion. But just like before, his hand passed straight through him when he tried to grip his shoulder.

“Sorey!”

Lailah and the others were finally getting to their feet. And Lailah, seeing Mikleo starting to panic, moved to his side as quickly as the malevolence would allow her too.

“It’s ok,” she tried to comfort. “It’s Heldalf’s malevolence. It’s so thick that it’s blocking out Sorey’s resonance with us. He can’t see or hear us, but it’s only temporary. As soon as we leave this evil domain, things will go back to normal.”

Mikleo looked to the fire seraph. He tried to take her words and allow them to calm him down. He struggled to accept what she was saying, that it was ok. But his insides wouldn’t listen, even if his brain understood. There had never been a time in all of his life that Sorey couldn’t see, hear, or touch him. And being invisible to the one person he cared about most, was more terrifying than anything else they’d ever done on their journey thus far.

It was more terrifying than the hellions they’d faced, more terrifying than the corrupted towns of people they’d traveled through, and even more terrifying than the war they’d just taken part in. It was worse than Heldalf, and worse than all the evil they’d ever faced. Because before, when they faced all of those things, they’d faced them together. And when they were together…they literally walked through skies filled with flying arrows and came out unharmed. Mikleo never truly felt afraid when Sorey was with him. But now…

“Mikleo? Mikleo!” He looked to Sorey. His green eyes were huge with the same fear that Mikleo currently felt. The shepherd was looking all around himself, trying to locate his missing seraphs, and Mikleo could scarcely stand to see him that way.

“We have to do something!” he said to Lailah. “Can’t you see how afraid he is? He doesn’t know we’re still with him!”

Lailah was about to answer. She’d opened her mouth to do so, but that was when everyone there heard a noise off to their side. Sorey’s sweet, young, face lit up with hope as he turned.

“Mikleo?” But it wasn’t Mikleo. Instead, out of the swirling dust kicked up from the war, were suits of armor. Many of them. An army of them. Or more precisely…two armies of them. More and more shadows appeared, coming out of the sand and dust. And as they neared, it was clear to see that the soldiers of both sides from the war were no longer men. The malevolence around them was so powerful that it had turned them all into hellions. They were monsters: tall, huge, fierce, and terrifying.

“No…”

They lumbered forward, converging toward the abandoned shepherd. Cliff at his back, and an army in front of him, there was little else to do but try and fight to survive. The monsters lunged, and Sorey, already weak from the crushing force of malevolence, struggled to even remain standing as he drew his sword. He only got one good hit in before the beast before him smashed him in his face, sending him sprawling backward.

“SOREY!” Mikleo screamed, but the shepherd could neither see nor hear him. It was clear from his terrified expression that he thought he was alone.

Mikleo, desperation filling him, jumped in front of the fallen shepherd, putting himself between him and the oncoming army of nightmares. Working through the shroud of evil pressure pushing down on him, he lifted his arms, facing out against hoards of demons. Even if he had been at full strength it was clearly impossible, but now, with no holy power to call upon, it was worse than fruitless, it was foolhardy.

He tried to call forth his staff, which usually appeared for him out of thin air when called, but he didn’t even have enough power to do this. His weapon didn’t manifest, and he was left holding a hand out to the nothingness.

“Mikleo! There’s nothing we can do! Get out of the way or you’ll be trampled!”

Mikleo didn’t care. Staff or none, he faced the oncoming armies and tried to cast an arte without his weapon.

“Twin Flow!” He called. But of course, nothing happened. And that one wasted second was all he’d had. Out of time, the army was upon them, and not knowing of anything else he could do, he suddenly turned and threw himself on top of his fallen love in an attempt to protect him. His arms went right through Soreys’ chest as if he were a ghost, as if he didn’t exist. His hands felt the dirt beneath him, and as Mikleo looked to Sorey’s half-conscious face, and as he felt the wave of darkness rushing toward them, and as he found he couldn’t even grab a hold of him, he finally let his panic from earlier take hold of him.

“Sorey! Sorey! I’m right here! I’m right here! I won’t leave you! I won’t!”

“Mikleo!” Lailah screamed. And then, before anyone could do or say anything more, the army of monsters hit them. But instead of chopping them to bits, they were too mindless and full or rage to even do this. Instead, all four seraphs and one human were pushed over the side of the cliff. They were all falling, the air ripping past their clothes and hair. And here, even now in free fall, when Mikleo reached out his hands to try and grab a hold of Sorey, he found he could not. His frantic fingers glided through him as if he wasn’t even real.

Pain and terror like he’d never felt before tore through him and his face contorted with torment as they all fell, probably to their deaths. But even death didn’t frighten him nearly as much as being separated from his Sorey, and that much became clear as he suddenly started to cry, his tears falling upward and away from him as their entire party fell like stones into a pond. 

 

Mikleo awoke with a start and a gasp. Sitting up like a bolt of lightning, he kicked at the blankets on his feet. But it was only after several frantic seconds that he even realized where he was. He was safe in bed, at the inn in Pandrago.

Sitting in bed, still gasping for breath, he put a hand to his chest to try and slow his speeding heart. But it was hard. It was beating at what felt like two hundred beats per minute. And each time it pounded it felt like it might burst out of his chest. 

“Just a dream,” he whispered to himself. “That’s all…just a dream…”

But of course that wasn’t entirely true, it hadn’t been just a dream. It was something that had actually happened. And ever since that moment in Glaivend Basin, he couldn’t stop thinking about how he and Sorey had been completely cut off from one another. It had become a very real fear, and he knew perfectly well that it could happen again if they stumbled into a patch of malevolence strong enough.

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his breathing. Carefully and gradually, he worked on slowing his heart back down.

 _There’s no point in dwelling on all of that now,_ he told himself. _Now that we know what we’re up against, we can be more careful in the future. Everything’s fine._  
But that was just something he told himself. He was a very rational, logical person, and usually logical reasoning calmed him down. But this time it was different. Thinking about that time on the battle field always brought back that fear, no matter how many times he thought through it.

Slowly, he opened his lavender eyes. But when he did, he was surprised to find something wet on his cheeks. Blinking and lifting a hand, he wiped the water away. Looking at his fingers and finding tears, he quickly blushed.

_How embarrassing…_

Afraid someone may have seen him wake up, he quickly looked around the room. But blessedly, no one else was in the room with him. The other beds were empty, and…so was the spot beside him where Sorey had been resting. 

A brief jolt of fear shocked him at seeing the empty spot, but Mikleo quickly quelled it. Obviously he had slept in if everyone was out of the room but himself. Sorey was clearly with them, probably eating breakfast at the inn’s lobby.

Mikleo sighed. Edna would probably make fun of him for sleeping so late. After all…he was usually an early riser. And if not the first one up, then he was always up with Sorey. But this time he supposed, his dream had held him hostage.

_Might as well get dressed._

Climbing out of bed, he walked over to the small dresser they’d all been sharing and fished out his usual clothes. He didn’t want anyone to worry, and so started to get dressed quickly.

 

A few moments later, Mikleo stepped out and into the front lobby of the inn. He still felt tense and couldn’t seem to shake the lingering dread that his dream had instilled in him. But he knew he’d feel normal again once he saw Sorey. And so, anxiously, he lifted his head and scanned the tables in the dining area. Thankfully, and very quickly, he spotted his team members.

Lailah, Edna, Zaveid, and of course, Sorey, were all there. And when he spotted the back of Sorey’s full head of spiky chocolate hair, he let out a relieved sigh.  
_Of course he’s ok. It was just a dream after all._

Already feeling much more like himself, Mikleo approached the table. Sorey, his back turned to him, hadn’t spotted him as of yet, and the others, wrapped up in conversation (Zaveid was implying something about Lailah’s boobs…) didn’t call out to him. And so, Mikleo saw a perfect opportunity.

Sorey reached for his glass of orange juice, but as he did, Mikleo only needed a flick of his wrist to control the juice inside of the cup: quickly and with ease, he made the glass slide away from the shepherds reaching hand.

“Huh?” Sorey, reaching for it a second time, found the glass slide off and to the right. Then, when he tried a third time, it slid off and to the left, still staying out of reach. Mikleo, unable to help himself, chuckled, clearly proud of his little prank. And when Sorey turned to look at him, a sly smirk overcame his face.

The Shepherd had been idly listening to the chatter between Zaveid and Lailah when he'd reached for his glass of juice. Sorey had slept in late that morning, too. He'd barely been up for more than about five minutes. And because of that, and the fog his brain was still in, it took him a couple of moments, and more than a couple failed attempts at grabbing his juice before he figured out what was happening with his chosen breakfast beverage.

Or...maybe he hadn't caught on until he'd heard a very familiar chuckle coming from behind him. With that, Sorey turned around, looking for pale aquamarine hair and violet eyes.

He found Mikleo alright, complete with a smirk plastered on his pretty face.

"Hey!" he protested, mostly just for the show of it. He wasn't truly aggravated. Sorey was never truly upset with Mikleo. He loved the water seraph too much for that. But they'd been playing a game of 'keep-away' since they were little kids. He had to at least pretend like he was offended by the juice-moving, or else it would ruin the fun.

After a sufficient pout to show he was not happy with being denied his juice, Sorey grinned. "Good morning! I see someone's feeling playful already," his green eyes brightening now that Mikleo was around.

 _I'm glad he's up,_ Sorey thought. _It's rare for him to sleep in so long. I was worried._

And when Sorey turned and smiled at him, focusing his bright green eyes onto him, any lingering fears Mikleo might have had vanished entirely. Sorey didn’t just see him: he could see him. And that cute, naïve face of his always put him at ease.

“Of course,” Mikleo responded, matter-of-fact. “Someone around here has to keep you on your toes.” Stepping over to the table, Mikleo took the empty seat beside Sorey. In Pandrago he didn’t need to be careful about pulling out his seat, for if any humans saw the mysterious chair move by itself, they would already know it was a seraphs doing. Sorey had already made a name for himself here and everyone knew he was the shepherd and kept seraphim as company.

“Sorey, would you order me pasta salad with fruit and yogurt on the side?” And of course, since no one else could see or speak with the seraphim, Sorey had to order everyone’s food for them. “Iced tea to drink please?”

"Sure thing!" Sorey responded, grinning as he started to look around the room for the waiter. He was always happy to help others with whatever they needed...especially if that other person happened to be Mikleo. The water seraph could've asked him to order ten different things and Sorey would've been happy to do so, if it would make him happy.

Thankfully, everyone at the Inn already knew the company he kept. It had been funny to explain the first couple of times they'd stayed the night in Pendrago, but news spread quickly around town that he was the shepherd.

He spotted their waiter, and waved his hand in the air to signal he needed some help. As he waited for the guy to come over, he responded to the _other_ thing Mikleo had said.

"And you certainly _do_ keep me on my toes. That's Mikleo the Enforcer for you," he teased, looking into the water seraph's violet eyes, and appreciating how pretty the other young man was for what felt like the umpteenth time in the past several days. He didn't voice his opinions on Mikleo's beauty, but he felt like the seraph already knew. That and he really didn't need Zaveid's perverseness at that time...that guy would probably turn it into something...vulgar.

Once the waiter was there and he'd placed the order for Mikleo, Sorey turned his attention back to the seraph.

"I was surprised to see you sleep in so late," he commented. "You even slept later than me this morning." The crinkle in his eyebrows would let the others know he'd been worried about his companion, if they weren't able to discern the tones in his voice.

And of course Mikleo knew Sorey’d been worried. He knew everything about the young shepherd, even more than anyone realized. Mikleo kept a lot of things to himself however, and perhaps wasn’t as vocal as the other’s in their party. As such, it took a very astute eye to catch on to how close the two really were, especially since Mikleo often times played things off as less than what they were.

He glanced off and to the side nonchalantly, as if he either didn’t know Sorey had been worried, or as if it didn’t concern him.

“Sleeping later than you is a feat,” he said teasingly. “Maybe I used up a little too much energy in our last battle.”

He’d offered the explanation as a way to try and ease Sorey’s worried mind. But before he had a chance to see how the shepherd would react, an umbrella tip was being jabbed into his ribs.

“Or maybe lady Meebo just needed his beauty sleep.”

“Ow! Ow!” Mikleo hissed. “Edna! Stop that!” As always, he swatted the umbrella away once it was jabbed into his side. “And I told you to stop calling me that!”

Edna's antics made him feel a little bit more relaxed. Just as Mikleo knew Sorey, the shepherd knew Mikleo just as well. He knew the water seraph's tendency to downplay things. All the same, his heart had leapt with the suggestion that the only thing wrong with the other young man had been a lack of energy, and nothing more.

If he'd truly slept in because of using up too much energy, then that was okay. If it was something else, like...being sad, or having a nightmare, then that wouldn't have been okay.

But Sorey chose to believe in his companion's explanation. If there was something important going on, Mikleo would tell him. He trusted that.

"I...don't think 'Lady' quite suits Mikleo though," Sorey piped in, trying to distract Edna from poking poor Mikleo. "He's elegant, but he's also a guy," he expounded, genuinely curious as to why their oftentimes cantankerous friend called the water seraph that.

 _Yeah, he's pretty, but Mikleo's definitely masculine in his own way,_ he mused, looking over to his companion as he once again brushed Edna's killer umbrella aside.

Elegant, Mikleo mused. And when Sorey said it, he found himself suddenly fighting off a bought of heat that threatened to wash over his face. Jutting out his chin, he quickly crossed his arms over his chest and looked sourly off and to the side. Luckily for him though, it was Edna that spoke first, making it so that he didn’t need to come up with a retort.

“No, he’s definitely a lady,” she said. And then of course, Mikleo wasn’t so thankful.

“Hey!” he protested.

“Elegant is one thing, but the way he acts and carries himself is very lady-like. It’s almost like he believes he’s from high-society or something like that.”  
“I-I do not!” Mikleo stuttered, horrified by this concept that Edna had of him.

“Now now you two,” Lailah said in a kind voice from her side of the table. “It’s a little early for such heavy teasing, isn’t it?” She smiled in a bit of a strained manner, almost as if she were a mother watching over two children.

It was obvious he'd embarrassed Mikleo. But the water seraph was so cute when he jutted his chin out like that, it was hard for Sorey to feel guilty about it.  
That look on his face was worth it.

He'd have teased Mikleo some more, but from the way Lailah had spoken, Sorey thought maybe she'd had enough. Besides, the waiter was coming back with Mikleo's food.

"Hahah, it is pretty early," Sorey agreed, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner, as was habit for him whenever he felt a little embarrassed himself.

"But hey! It looks like your food is here," Sorey said, eyeing the yogurt and the fruit. Man, it looked good! _Maybe I should've ordered that,_ he thought to himself.

Mikleo, not wanting to feed into any more comments about him being ‘lady-like’ chose not to fuel the fire by saying anything. Instead, he grabbed up his food and sourly began to eat. Zaveid chuckled at the entire ordeal.

“All of the joking aside,” he said. “I believe Sorey suggested yesterday that we head to the town of Lowgrin next. Now that we’ve restored the blessing to this area, it’s time to move on.”

“Yes,” Lailah agreed. “And we’ve all heard the troubling news from the merchants about that location. It seems there’s a lot of malevolence there for us to quell. Those people clearly need our help.”

Mikleo remained silent, and somehow his silence became even thicker still when Lailah mentioned the amount of malevolence in the area they were about to travel to.  
“Yeah,” Zaveid agreed. “And it’s in the desert, which means the women there will be scantily clad due to the heat.”

“So _that’s_ your real reason for wanting to go,” Edna said, her voice sounding like gravel. “You don’t care about helping people at all, you just want to see some skin. Pervert.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault that’s what they customarily wear in hot locations! I’m allowed to be excited about it! You gotta find some good in situations like this!”

As usual, Sorey chose to ignore Zaveid's perverted comments. He really had...no interest in what the women of the area would be wearing. He was, however, excited about going to a desert. He and Mikleo had never been to one before, and he was willing to bet there'd be all sorts of ruins in the area. He'd read in a book once that the limestone rocks found in the desert could sometimes form impressive cave systems when the conditions were right; maybe they'd be lucky and find something like that, too, while wandering around in the desert.

"Well, I'm betting there'll be some great ruins in the area," he said, adrenaline starting to seep into his system the more he thought about it. "Plus it'll be good to help those merchants. They need our assistance, and that's not something I can ignore," Sorey said, perhaps ignorant to how idealistic and excitable he truly sounded.  
Sorey then turned to look at Mikleo, having noticed his silence. He didn't necessarily want to point it out in front of the others - Sorey thought maybe Mikleo was done with having the spotlight on him for a minute - but Sorey's intuition told him something was up with the water seraph. Maybe he was upset about all the teasing. He'd ask privately a little later on, to make sure everything was alright. For now, though, he could try to make things seem as normal as possible.

"You excited about the ruins, too, Mikleo?" he asked with a grin. His companion was just as much of a nerd as he was. And competitive to boot. Sorey could bet they'd have some fun in the area.

Mikleo couldn’t resist. And he didn’t want to. Immediately, as soon as Sorey said the word ‘ruins,’ a smile spread across his face, dousing the sourness that had been there previously. He stopped eating and faced his childhood friend straight on.

“You know it,” he fully admitted. “And didn’t the Celestial Record say something about The Zaphgott Desert? There’s supposed to be an ice cave somewhere to the west. And the Gangaren Ruins are to the Northeast. The ice cave I find particularly interesting. Despite the overbearing temperatures of the desert that surrounds it, inside it’s below freezing all year round. Something about the limestone characteristics of its walls is supposed to keep it cool. I’d love to see it for myself.”

“And of course, it being made of ice and you being a water seraph has nothing to do with it,” Edna teased. Mikleo, completely ignoring her, and his lilac eyes still aglow from the excitement of exploring some new ruins, never stopped in his excited banter to his equally as nerdy counterpart.

“And of course very little is known about the Gangaren Ruins. We could be the first to discover something really big of historic importance!”

“Oh my God, do you two _ever_ stop being nerds long enough to even think about what I just said earlier about the scantily clad women?” Zaveid groaned. “Come on, you’re the only other two dudes in our traveling party. Back me up.”

It was Lailah that giggled, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. Clearly, Zaveid being their newest member, hadn’t yet put the puzzle pieces together. But everyone else in the group already knew the very obvious truth about Mikleo and Sorey’s relationship.

The more Mikleo talked, the more Sorey's own eyes started to glow with excitement. He'd leaned forward in his chair until his butt was practically off the seat, elbows on his knees, as he listened to the water seraph's speculations.

The shepherd opened his mouth, ready to reply to Mikleo, but that's when Zaveid chimed in with more comments about women.  
Sorey laughed a little, looking to the side for a moment as he thought of how to reply.

"I don't know Zaveid, I'm much more interested in the ruins than in the, um, scantily clad women," Sorey confessed. "Especially if it means we could do just as Mikleo suggested, and find something no one else has ever discovered before!"

The excitement was too much for him. Sorey was clearly lost in the Nerd Dream World.

“You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” Zaveid cried, eyes wide. But Mikleo could only smile. Zaveid looked like he was about to have an aneurism, but before he could open his mouth and say anymore, Lailah grabbed his elbow and stood up.

“Come on Zaveid, leave them alone. Not everyone likes the same things you do.” And at that one, it was Edna who let out a snort. But seeing Lailah rise to her feet, Edna followed suit. Mikleo turned back to his food and ate a little more quickly, seeing that the others were ready to go. He didn’t want to hold them up. 

After Sorey paid the bill, the group headed out of the inn and into the Pendrago city beyond. The sun was bright and already high in the sky, letting Mikleo know that he had indeed slept in far later than he thought.

The group stopped by the local merchant and stocked up on supplies. Leaning over Sorey’s shoulder, Mikleo certainly didn’t let him forget anything important, such as cool food that wouldn’t go bad in a desert and a large water sack for each member of the party. They didn’t worry about filling the water pouches, for Mikleo could do that for free. Once loaded up and prepared, the group headed for the exit.


	2. Chapter 2: Water in the Desert

****

**

Chapter 2

**

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Water in the Desert

Outside, it was at least a day’s travel across the plains. But they did alright. Considering they had already restored the blessing to the area, the few hellions they did run into were few, and they were weak. Defeating them easily, they were never in any real danger.

They all camped out under the stars that night to reserve energy for the upcoming day. But then, after the sun rose, they found their way into the entrance of the Zaphgott Desert.

Stepping in, their shoes and boots landed on sand. And that sand was white, fine, and hot. The sun above blazed down on their heads and shoulders, but the heat from the ground was just as bad. It rose up from beneath them in waves that they could actually see. The landscape was bleak. There were tall, red, rock walls and cliffs all around them in the distance, and huge boulders and columns that looked like they’d been formed thousands of years ago. There were a few plants, but mainly they were cactuses or desert flowers. 

And right away as soon as they stepped into the new domain, they all felt the high levels of malevolence around them.

“We’ll have to be careful,” Lailah said. “This level of malevolence may even be high enough to weaken our artes.”

Mikleo, perhaps oddly, completely ignored Lailah and instead turned to Sorey who was currently facing away from him as he took in the new landscape.

“Sorey,” Mikleo said. Sorey turned, looking at Mikleo with curious green eyes. He was adorable and inquisitive, as always, and seeing he was still able to see him and hear him put Mikleo back at ease. Knowing he needed to say something, or it’d be strange that he called for his attention, Mikleo immediately pointed toward the red rocks around them.

“These formations are interesting,” he said. “They look thousands of years old. And despite being in the desert, there are clear water marks on them. Do you think they were formed by rushing waters, like rivers perhaps?”

"Hmmn," Sorey hummed as he put a hand to his chin, thinking. "That's highly probable. I remember reading in some of the books Gramps got us that climates can change over a period of several thousand years. Who knows? Maybe once upon a time, this place used to be home to some rivers."

Sorey continued to look around in amazement. The red rocks were beautiful to look at, and the sheer size of some of the rocks were impressive.

"If that's the case, then....the river would've started to carve out its path all the way up there," the shepherd said, awe in his voice.

"Can you imagine how long it would take the water to carve out so much of the sediment?"

And then his mind started wandering around all of the possibilities.

"Hey! Maybe there are some fossils and stuff we could find!" And then he turned around and gave Mikleo a cheeky, excited grin, oblivious to how Mikleo had purposefully ignored Lailah's comments on the strength of the malevolence.

"Maybe we can do some fossil hunting later on, once we're a little farther along with our mission," the green-eyed youth suggested. As excited as he was about his surroundings, his dedication towards his shepherdly duties came first. Still, that didn't mean they couldn't have some fun along the way, too.

Mikleo couldn’t hide his smile. Sorey’s excitement was always infectious and the idea of finding some fossils sounded like a lot of fun. Besides, Sorey was always the most attractive when he was excited and when he smiled like that.

“I bet there _are_ some fossils here,” Mikleo confirmed. “A desert like this would be perfect in preserving them. If you take into consideration about the dry, arid, climate then the fossils would be…”

“Enough yakking you two. Or at the very least, yak while we walk. It’ll take us the entire day to cross this wasteland and even with my umbrella, I don’t want to burn in the sun.” Edna interrupted. 

“Oh Edna, you’re already burning a hole in my heart,” Zaveid chimed in. Mikleo rolled his eyes.

“Do you ever think of anything else?”

“Hardly ever,” he proudly admitted. And then, Lailah, suddenly excited about something, ran over to the two, a sparkle in her eye.

“You could say that Zaveid has a…burning desire!”

Mikleo groaned. Her puns were as terrible as ever.

“Edna’s right…let’s get moving.”

"Right," Sorey said, unperturbed by anything that happened between Lailah and Zaveid. He was so used to all of his party's antics that it was hard to get him to face palm these days...although it did still happen occasionally. But it took a particularly bad pun to make him do that.

"Everyone, let's stay close together. And Mikleo," Sorey said, turning around to look at his companion.

"I have a feeling you'll be pretty popular with everyone, since you make those great frozen snacks," he said with a smirk, already imagining what concoction the water seraph had up his sleeve.

"Anyway. Let's head out!"

And with that, the group started to head out towards the northwest area. Occasionally they ran into some strange flowering hellions, as well as some sort of huge, trunked hellion that spouted water at them. But even so, the group was making good time.

Sorey was excited over....just about everything they encountered, and he always kept a look out for any special treasures that may be hidden in the desert sand. What Mikleo had said about fossils being preserved due to the dry climate and the heat stuck out in his mind, and although Sorey hoped the others weren't noticing, Sorey constantly checked the area near his feet and any rocks low the ground to see if he could spot anything. They hadn't made a wager or a bet with each other, but the shepherd would love to be the first person to find any type of fossil before Mikleo.

But of course, the shepherd’s actions didn’t get by a certain observant water seraph. Mikleo could be fairly quiet at times, and for the most part it was because he was watching his surroundings and the actions and words of those around him. He had a keen eye and he was a good listener. Not much of anything got passed him: especially not anything Sorey did. Mikleo watched the dark haired youth almost all the time.

Seeing Sorey’s excited face and seeing him look at the ground and search through the sands was spiriting. It brought a smile to the water seraph’s face. And of course, he knew exactly what he was doing. The game was on, regardless of whether they verbally set a bet or not. And so, for the first portion of their journey, Mikleo started searching for fossils too.

The group traveled onward and minutes turned to hours. Mikleo found himself refilling his friend’s canteens fairly frequently. Having a water seraph in the party meant no one had to conserve water. They had an endless supply of it. And it was a good thing too…the day was becoming brutal.

They set out early in the morning after the sun had just risen. As such, the sun hadn’t been as demanding. Although hot, it was nothing like it was now. With the flaming ball of gas just above their heads, it was beating down on them twice as hard. The sand beneath them had heated up as well and it felt as if they were in an oven. Everyone was growing tired and weary, especially being forced to fight out in such heat.

“Meebo…more water,” Edna demanded. Lifting a hand, Mikleo wiped at the sweat that was now dripping down his white skin. Or…it used to be white. At the moment, it was starting to turn an alarming shade of pink. 

“Can’t you ask nicely?” he complained.

“No…I’m too miserable for that.”

“At least you have an umbrella…”

The argument could have continued, but Mikleo was too uncomfortable to care. Lifting a hand he waved his wrist and sent out a stream of water into Edna’s canteen until it was full once more. Then, once he was done, he created a few small water orbs for himself. Floating them through the air, he popped one into his mouth at a time.

“You need to drink too?” Edna questioned. “That seems…redundant.”

“I actually don’t,” Mikleo explained. “I’m just trying to cool off…”

“You do look a little worse for wear.”

Lailah, overhearing the conversation, came over.

“It’s because he’s a water seraph,” she explained. “You’ll notice that this heat doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I rather enjoy it. The hotter the better.”

“I’ll say!” Zaveid cried.

Edna sighed, “Shut up for once…”

“Anyway,” Lailah said, “I’m fine, you and Zaveid are probably uncomfortable, but you’ll be ok. After all, the wind blows in all areas of the land, and wind can be hot or cold. Same with you Edna. You lived on a volcano all this time after all. But for a water seraph, this must be hard. I know I wouldn’t do well in my opposite element. If we were out in a blizzard I’d be weakened. Mikleo is the same.”

It sounded like a lot of concern. And of course, Sorey had overheard. When Mikleo looked over to him, he saw worry starting to crease his features. And he never wanted Sorey to worry. So of course, he quickly replied with,

“I’m fine. I’m just a little hot.”

“Well that’s because you’re all buttoned up like a prude,” Zaveid said. “Look at what you’re wearing! No wonder you’re burning up.”

“If you’re suggesting I walk around practically naked like you, you can forget it.”

“Besides, he’s already burning,” Edna observed. “If he took his shirt off like you, he’d be a lobster in minutes.”

“Oh I know!” Lailah cried, “Crisp as a critter!”

“I don’t think that counts as a pun,” Mikleo said, “More like…word alliteration. In any case, I’m fine. I’ll make some ice pops for everyone as soon as we find some shade to take a break in. That’ll help cool everyone off.”

Everyone fell quiet for a second after that as they continued to walk, but it was clear Zaveid was still itching to say more. Finally, he couldn’t help himself and blurted,  
“You should at least unzip that suit thing you’re wearing. I mean damn! Let some air in!”

“Said the wind seraph,” Mikleo retorted. And Lailah simply loved that one. She squealed.

Even if Mikleo had reassured everyone, Sorey wasn't so certain the aquamarine-haired seraph was okay. He stepped closer to his companion, noticing how the water seraph's typically porcelain skin had a rose tint to it. That made him frown, the corners of his eyebrows scrunching up together as his eyes darted across Mikleo's pinkening skin.

"As much as I hate to say it, maybe Zaveid is right," the brunet said, eyeing Mikleo carefully. "I know seraphs are tougher than humans, but...I don't want you to get sunburned or overheated."

Sorey was clearly worried. There was no way he wouldn't be, especially since he'd heard Lailah's logical explanations.

_Opposing elements...it makes sense as to why he'd have trouble in the desert. Why hadn't I thought of that earlier?_

With that self-chastising thought in mind, Sorey started scanning the immediate area, standing a little taller in his boots as he tried to scout out some shade for the group.

"There's a fairly decent shadowy overhang over there towards the canyon wall," he said. "Let's head over there and have those ice pops you talked about," he offered. For that truly was what it was. It might've sounded like he was being a little pushy, but Sorey knew all too good and well that Mikleo would never go along with it unless he wanted to do so himself. And so, things phrased like that was always an offer, never a demand. The shepherd knew better than that.

Mikleo looked over to Sorey. He knew he was worried, and he would have objected, but…he wondered if Sorey wasn’t hot too. After all, he was human and they were in a desert. Surely he was also uncomfortable. And really…Mikleo knew he loved his ice pops. It would be a good thing for everyone. And so, because it wasn’t just concern over himself, Mikleo agreed and nodded.

“Ok.” The group headed over toward the shaded area Sorey had spotted, and as they did, Mikleo couldn’t help but to feel happy. Although he didn’t want Sorey to worry about him, he still liked it when he looked out for him like this. They took care of one another. And that was always nice.

Reaching the shaded area, Zaveid collapsed quite dramatically with a long, loud sigh, as he rested his back up against the red wall. Mikleo, although clearly in more duress, much more civilly and stoically sat himself down on the ground. As everyone else started to settle in, he started to get to work on the ice pops. Using his water artes and just a few ingredients he’d brought with him in his pouch, he started formulating the treats. A few minutes later, they were finished. And as always, when he finished making any sweet treat, he immediately looked to Sorey first.

“The snacks are done.” After all, seraphs didn’t need to eat for survival. The only reason he’d begun learning now to make food at all had been for his human counterpart. 

Sorey grinned widely as he scooted over to sit closer to Mikleo, then reached out and took one of the delicious ice pops the seraph had made.  
"Thanks! These look great." And they did.

Everyone knew that Mikleo was the best snack maker of the group. Sorey was normally the one that cooked the actual meals for them back in Elysia, but when it came to treats, no one could out-best Mikleo. And there was something really cute about that fact that Sorey really liked.

He quickly went to slurping the ice pop, enjoying the icy coolness in comparison with their blistering surroundings. Sorey wondered what had made Mikleo want to learn how to make snacks in the first place. Was it...for him? Or had the seraph just been curious and wanted to learn a new skill?

Sorey wasn't sure what had spurned the other young man into mastering dozens of different sweet treats, but he definitely appreciated them.

"Whew! I don't know what we'd do without you Mikleo. Your water and your snacks are a life saver out here," the shepherd said, as honestly as usual.

Mikleo’s usual sly grin slid onto his face.

“What indeed. You’d all burn to a crisp without me. Crispy critters as Lailah said earlier.”

After handing out all the ice pops, Mikleo started on his own. It was certainly refreshing and he felt a little better with something cool in his system. But even so, he felt like he was melting, even in the shade.

_Maybe Zaveid’s right…maybe I am just a little too buttoned up._

He wore a heavy set of clothes compared to the others, after all, he was used to much cooler climates. Even so…he was somehow embarrassed at the idea of taking off his outermost layer. If anything, he could have been considered the exact opposite of Zaveid. Mikleo was modest. But…conditions were making it impossible to stay the way he was. 

And so, lifting a hand, he pulled at the zipper near his neck. Taking it down, he stopped just underneath his collar bone, releasing a lot of the heat that had built up underneath. But this was as much skin as he was willing to expose. Lifting his free hand, the one without the ice pop, he wiped at his sweaty face once more. Then he pushed back his sweaty bangs trying to get them out of his face. It revealed the golden circlet he wore on his forehead that was normally not visible beneath his snowy locks. Even in the shade it gleamed in the sun. 

As he was adjusting himself and trying to get more comfortable, he glimpsed Sorey’s worried expression at his side once more. He frowned.  
“I’m _fine,”_ he insisted. “Please stop worrying.”

Sorey did his best not to stare. As such, he kept a sidelong glance on Mikleo as he...unzipped the top layer of his shirt. And as usual, the glint of his circlet caught the shepherd's eye when the seraph started playing with his hair - hair that Sorey wasn't allowed to try and cut anymore. Not since the famous ‘incident’ from when they were kids.

The tiniest of smiles crept on his lips, before he focused again on his own ice pop.

And of course as happy as he was that Mikleo was at least following his advice and had allowed his skin to breathe some, Sorey was now worried that the water seraph would get a sunburn on his collarbone area, too.

This made him frown again, right in time for Mikleo to catch him staring.

"Okay...as long as you're okay," Sorey said in response, before tucking the ice pop back in his mouth for a moment, before pulling it back out and facing his companion once more.

"At least you've unzipped yourself a little. There's no need to be so modest," the brunet stated. "I know you're not like Zaveid, but I'm glad you're at least exposing a little bit of yourself, to cool down."

It was important he included that last part. Otherwise, he might sound a little bit like Zaveid himself.

Mikleo was afraid he couldn’t hide the heat that suddenly came to his face, but then again, with his skin already pink he hoped no one would notice. There was something…really energizing about Sorey saying such things to him. 

“Well i-it’s just for practical reasons.” Focusing once more on his treat, he quickly looked away and off to the side, too embarrassed to catch Sorey’s eyes.

A few minutes later the group agreed that they should get going once more. Brushing themselves off, they stepped out of the shade and back into the blinding white sun. Almost as soon as they did, Mikleo winced. If it was at all possible, the sun somehow seemed even brighter and hotter than before. And the sand beneath them was just as white and hot as they sky above. It felt almost as if they were on the surface of the sun itself.

_Ugh…_

They traipsed onward. At first, Mikleo walked up front at the head of the group, just alongside Sorey. After all, the pair of them almost always led. But after only twenty minutes or so, Mikleo started to fall behind. He then walked alongside Zaveid and Lailah as they bantered back and forth. But soon he could no longer keep up with them either. Another twenty minutes later and he was at the tail end of the group alongside Edna, who usually liked to be watchful in her solitude as she brought up the rear. But even this didn’t last, and it was when Mikleo started to fall behind even their slowest member of the group that Edna stopped in order to face him.

Mikleo didn’t look good. His skin was pink and covered in sweat. His usually pristine white hair was disheveled. And he wasn’t holding himself in his usual upright way. Instead, his shoulder’s were slumped and he was dragging his feet through the sand as if it was just too much effort to lift them properly. But the worst thing about him was his expression. He appeared simply exhausted and there was a wince on his face. His eyes were squinted shut as if it was just too bright to gaze out at the world around him. Edna frowned.

“You look like hell,” she said with her usual attitude.

“Ugh…as crass as ever…” Mikleo responded, but even his words didn’t have their usual crisp bite. Instead, he sounded as if he just didn’t have it in him to fight back.  
Edna, although rude and seemingly uncaring, immediately turned and faced forward in order to start marching her way to the front of the group. She moved purposefully and urgently past Zaveid and Lailah who were still bickering about something and straight up to Sorey.

Sorey, at the moment, was distracted by the map in his hands. His gaze on it, he hadn’t noticed that Mikleo had fallen so far behind. And at the start of it Sorey could hardly have been blamed, for Mikleo had told him he was going off to look for fossils a little farther away from the group in order to seal their bet. It had been an excuse of course, to hide the fact that he hadn’t felt well. But now, the gig was up. 

Reaching their shepherd’s side, Edna, while still twirling her umbrella overhead, reached out an elbow and quickly jabbed it into Sorey’s side.

“OW!” Sorey cried, but before he could ask what her problem was, Edna explained herself rather quickly.

“Meebo is wilting.” Turning, she lifted a hand and pointed. And when Sorey looked up, he would find Mikleo much farther behind that anyone had noticed or anticipated, and worse still, he looked like he was barely on his feet.

Sorey's green eyes widened at the sight of the struggling water seraph all the way in the back of the group.

"Mikleo!" he shouted, alarmed. He paused long enough to look at Edna, his expression serious. He appreciated her alerting him.

"Thanks Edna," and with that, Sorey was off. Ignoring his own discomfort, Sorey took off at a quick jog to be at his companion's side, shoving the map back into one of the leather pouches attached to his belt as he moved.

"Hey," he said much softer once he was at the seraph's side, reaching out and placing a concerned hand on the back of his arm.

"You okay there? You need to take another rest?" he asked, immensely concerned with Mikleo's appearance and obvious lack of energy.

It was true that Mikleo was a little prideful, and he never liked to worry Sorey if he didn’t have to, but when things were important, he didn’t hide them and he never lied. Reaching out a hand, he grabbed onto Sorey for support. He nodded.

“I’m not feeling too well…” he admitted. “And the sun’s so bright…I can barely see…”

The others in the group, now also alerted to there being some sort of problem, turned and regarded the water seraph as well. Their eyes widened when they saw what condition he was in. 

“Lowgrin is only a mile or so away,” Lailah said. “We’re almost there.” 

“But maybe we shouldn’t try to cross the desert in one day.” Zaveid suggested. “We could set up camp early. Get out of the sun.”

Mikleo looked to the group, gratitude on his face.

“Thank you everyone. And…I’m sorry for the inconvenience…”

“It’s no trouble,” Lailah said. “I expect you’d all do the same for me if we were in a snowy region.”

Mikleo offered Lailah a smile, recognizing that she was trying to save his pride. And he was more than happy to now accept Sorey’s help as the Shepherd started to look around for another area of shade to help the group get to. But before he had a chance, a low, rumbling type of growl was heard rising up from their left.

“What was that?”

Turning to look, the group was not happy to see yet another group of hellions heading their way. Their dark forms rose upward from over the crest of a dune, and a pack of huge, wolf-like creatures emerged. There were many of them, and they’d clearly spotted the group of travelers.

“Oh no…”

“Not now!”

“How annoying.”

Everyone took up offensive or defensive stances with their weapons, and although they hadn’t worried too much about the hellions they’d run across in the area so far, things were different now that they had a weakened teammate. But even so, it was clear Mikleo was going to fight too. Standing rigid and tall with the rest of them, and pushing himself away from Sorey’s support, he threw a hand out in front of him, calling his staff out of the air. With it in both hands, he gripped it and planted his feet. It hardly mattered how much sweat was pouring off of him.

Sorey couldn't believe it. Mikleo was going to fight?

"Mikleo!" he shouted, raising his sword in front of him to block a blow from one of the hellions.

"You can't be serious!" he shouted, thrusting his blade outward and doing a quick combo of spins and thrusts, dispatching one of the wolfish creatures before hurrying over towards the water seraph's side. "You - you can hardly walk! Let us take care of these," Sorey exclaimed, all the while knowing there was a high chance Mikleo wouldn't ever agree to Sorey's suggestion.

He was proud like that and while that pride was oftentimes endearing to the young shepherd, it could also be aggravating. Like right at this moment.  
_Let me protect you! Sorey thought. The same way you always protect me!_

“Not a chance!” Mikleo hollered. “What would you have me do? Sit here and watch you fight without me? I’ll stay in the back and cast artes, but there’s no way I’m sitting out entirely. Besides, the hellions would hardly allow that anyway!”

Sorey didn’t have to agree. It was the hellion that lunged right at Mikleo that let him know what the water seraph said was true. Even if he had tried to sit out…he would have only become a sitting duck.

Quick as lightning, Sorey’s sword came down, cutting the creature just in front of Mikleo before it had a chance to land a nasty bite. And in seeing it, Mikleo saw the truth and understanding come to Sorey’s worried green eyes.

“Lead them away from me,” he ordered. “They’ll go after you and the others. I’ll cast from here.” It was the best plan he could come up with to account for his weakened condition. But at least Sorey seemed to agree. Quickly, he ran off and ahead, taking Mikleo’s advice and falling back on an old strategy that they’d always used well before in the past. With Mikleo being so strong in magic, it was only natural for him to sometimes stay back at the sidelines while Sorey charged ahead for the more physical combat. 

Lifting his staff, Mikleo called forth a rush of holy energy. Blue aura and wind swirled around him, ruffling his white hair and the two long blue tendrils of his cloak behind him. Preparing for his spell, he cast with a watchful eye, as always, on Sorey and the rest of his team. But mostly on Sorey. The young shepherd had a terrible habit of seeing only the enemy before him and none of the others at his side or back. More often than not, it was Mikleo’s magic that saved him from heavy blows.  
Mikleo kept his violet eyes on the person he held most dear. As always, Sorey was impressive in battle. He swirled and pivoted, parried and spun with his sword in hand like he was dancing. His white cloak flowed around him like water, and he moved more quickly than anyone else on the field. He was always handsome while fighting. 

Mikleo, seeing a hellion just at his side, and also seeing that Sorey had no clue it was there, released all the energy he’d been calling up. 

“Frigid Sever!” Ice shot out from him, in long, jagged spikes. Hitting the target like bullets, the hellion howled and fell before it ever had a chance to touch the person he cherished. But of course, when it fell, it was only then that Sorey turned and noticed he’d almost been nailed. 

“I’ll watch your back!” Mikleo called.

Sorey flashed him a grin; the cutest grin he ever did see, then turned and faced another opponent. Mikleo observed everything carefully from a distance, then started to cast again.

The battle was going well. The strategy seemed to be working. The team of seraphs and shepherd were making quick work of the wolf hellions around them. They were easy to defeat, the only issue was that there were a lot of them. Zaveid took down two or three, but as soon as he did there were more in their place.

“These guys breed like rabbits or what?”

Edna, busy thrusting jagged spires of rock up from the ground like lances, agreed in a lazy voice, “Very annoying.” She impaled two more.

Lailah, preferring to concentrate on the battle, didn’t comment. But that was only until they started to near the end. There were only a few left now, an easy number to handle, and the hellion before her fell after it was suddenly blasted with a powerful crash of water from off to the side. Grateful, Lailah turned to thank her water counterpart, but when she did, she let out a gasp of alarm. For as soon as she turned to look Mikleo’s way, he stumbled, tottered, and then she saw his eyes roll up into the back of his skull.

“So…rey…” he mumbled weakly, and then he simply collapsed, his knees crumbling beneath him. Falling to his side amongst the sand, his staff fell from his hands. And then, he didn’t get up again. 

“Mikleo!”


	3. Chapter 3: Almost

**Chapter 3**

Almost

Sorey'd just finished dispatching the last wolf hellion when he heard it.

Even if he had been dozens of yards away, Sorey would've still heard the sound of Mikleo's exhausted words. The shepherd whirled his head around in time to see his much-loved companion collapse into the desert sand, his normally pristine appearance disheveled and dirty. In a flash, Sorey was darting towards his side, the voices of his worried teammates falling on deaf ears.

"Mikleo!" Sorey half dove, half knelt next to the fallen water seraph. Quickly, Sorey picked him up slightly in his arms, staring into his pretty face. Even now, the seraph's eyebrows were scrunched together, and he looked absolutely miserable.

There were no visible signs of injury, more than likely he was just passed out from exhaustion. Sorey had to get him out of the heat, and immediately.

Wordlessly, Sorey hauled him up and nestled him in his arms, turning around to find Lailah once he'd risen from the sand.

"We have to get him to town! He's too overheated. I'll carry him!" And with that, he started to head out as fast as he could towards the direction he knew the town was in.

No one argued, and there was no more talk about setting up camp. Mikleo clearly needed more than that. He needed to be inside a legitimate building, with a cool rag on his face and a fan blowing cool wind onto his overheated body. He looked like a wreck, and because he took such pride in his appearance, and always appeared crisp, cool, and clean, the other’s started to feel the same anxiety as their shepherd. Mikleo never liked to worry the others, and so, if it came to the point of him passing out, then they knew he was truly in some trouble.

They all hurried. Moving fast through the sand, it was Lailah that held her hand out to Mikleo’s forehead as Sorey carried him. And when she touched his skin she winced.

“He’s burning up…” she said. Normally Mikleo’s skin was smooth and cool to the touch, being the water seraph that he was. And so, to feel him warm was alarming.  
As the group ran, Zaveid led. And when the next hellion arose, he let out a furious roar.

“Get the fuck outta our WAY!” Thrusting out his hands, a blast of wind shrieked forth, pummeling into the single hellion and sending it flying. The group never even slowed down as the sand settled behind them. And Lowgrin, which had indeed only been a mile away, started to come into view within ten minutes. 

“There it is!”

“He’ll be fine. He just needs to get out of the sun.”

Sorey was immensely grateful for everyone's help. And there was something about Zaveid's angry outcry towards the hellion that was very...well, it made Sorey like him a little more than before. Not that he'd disliked Zaveid. It's just that there was something refreshing about seeing him care about something other than women and their scantily clad boobs.

The shepherd hurried on, carrying Mikleo as carefully but as swiftly as possible. With their hurried pace, he too was definitely feeling the effects of the heat and the sun. Sweat dripped off of him. He was sure he didn't smell that great...but all that mattered right in that moment was making sure Mikleo was safe.

They reached the threshold of the city, and once there, Sorey was...instantly underwhelmed.

"Oh my..." Lailah said, putting a delicate hand up to cover her mouth, her own slim eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"There's...only tents," Sorey said, looking around in hopes of spying a place where they could take care of Mikleo.

Zaveid, who'd quickly dashed forward to scout ahead, thrust his hand up in the air from several tents ahead and waved to Sorey.

"Hey! Over here, your Shepherdness," the wind seraph said, still as cocky as ever.

Sorey and the others scurried forward to see what it was that the wind seraph had found, only to be met with the sight of a middle-aged woman in front of a....very small tent. _Is this the inn?_

"I'm sorry, but is this a good place where we could get out of the sun and rest?" Sorey asked, trying to be polite as possible. Mikleo would be proud.

The inn keeper, indeed was standing in front of a tent. But it seemed it was all anybody in the town had. At the very least it was a nice, large, sturdy looking tent. And it was also situated in the shade of a very large stone tower that rose up in the center of the town. It already felt cooler simply by being out of the sun.

But at Sorey’s question, the older woman’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“We?” she questioned. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone other than the odd young man standing before her. And if that wasn’t weird enough, the young man held his arms out in front of him as if he was carrying something large and heavy. But nothing was there.

“I, uh…yes,” she responded, not wanting to lose a sale. After all, money was tight for all of Lowgrin these days, and as an innkeeper at an inn no one wanted to visit, she could hardly have cared how weird a customer was. Putting on a smile, she greeted Sorey.

“Welcome to Lowgrin Inn! It’s not much, but we have the largest and newest tent in town. And we have very comfortable beds inside, not just sleeping bags. The canvas our tent is made out of is very thick, blocking out both heat and light! It’s perfect for weary travelers coming in from the desert.” 

It only took a second for Sorey to realize his mistake. In his rush to get Mikleo the care he needed, the shepherd had forgotten a couple of important things: for starters, he forgot that other people couldn't see his seraphim companions. He may have been on the road for several weeks now, but old habits died hard. He'd lived his whole life with the awareness of the seraphim, and that meant that sometimes, Sorey forgot that others hadn't been brought up with such awareness.

Secondly, he forgot to introduce himself. Most of the time, people remembered the legends about the shepherd - although not always - and that meant they'd remember the legends of his ability to see the seraphim.

Mikleo often had to remind him of these things. But, of course…he couldn't do that right now.

"That's perfect," Sorey said to the lady, at least wanting to keep his manners. "And I'm sorry for not mentioning it before. I'm the Shepherd. One of my seraphim companions needs shelter from the heat...well, all of us could use a rest, really," Sorey said sheepishly.

And at that, the older woman’s eyes widened. She, like everyone else in all of the land, had indeed heard of the shepherd. Even those who didn’t know the tale previously, knew it now. Ever since Sorey pulled the sword from the alter in Ladylake he became the number one topic of conversation. People had seen what he’d done during the war. They’d seen him defeat a dragon on the battle field. And everyone in all the towns he’d previously visited had seen or heard things about his seraphim. Many people had even seen objects move, or seen the seraph’s artes. 

And so, eyes opened, the inn keeper quickly stepped aside and quickly gestured to the open tent.

“Oh, please forgive my rudeness! I’d heard the new shepherd was young, but I never imagined! Oh but you are wearing the garb of the shepherd too! And you…are you carrying one of the seraphim? Is she ok? Oh! Please come inside right away! Let me help in any way I can!”

Edna snickered, “She.” 

"Oh! Um, thank you," Sorey said, moving inside as soon as the nice lady gestured for them to come in - and purposefully ignoring Edna's snicker. "And yes, he's severely overheated. Mikleo is a water seraph, so…the desert heat affected him more than some of the others," Sorey explained, quickly moving towards the bed farthest away from the opening of the tent, since that seemed like it'd be the coolest place for him. Sorey gingerly laid him down on the soft-looking bed, before turning back towards the nice inn keeper who'd followed them inside.

"Thank you for all of your help. Do you have anything we could put some water in? A bowl perhaps? I just need to get him cooled down," Sorey asked, his green eyes full of worry. It'd be easy for the woman to see that although he was doing his best to be polite, the young shepherd was quite worried about his companion.  
Lailah headed into the tent too, standing on the other side of Mikleo's bed. She placed a hand to his forehead, noting that he was most certainly still quite warm. Being the motherly sort, she felt she needed to do something to reassure Sorey.

"He'll be fine, Sorey, I know you'll take great care of him," she said positively.

Sorey turned his head slightly towards the fire seraph. "Yeah...thanks Lailah," he said softly, even as he bounced on the tips of his toes in eagerness to take care of his Mikleo.

The inn keeper believed in Sorey right away. After all, she saw the human shaped indentation appear on the bed when he laid down the seraph he said he was carrying. And then the young shepherd turned and looked at the nothingness off to his side and thanked someone she couldn’t see or hear. He wasn’t crazy. This was real. And that meant there was an angel in distress lying on a bed in her modest inn! And what was more was that there were clearly other seraphim in the room too.

“I will bring some water immediately!” she said earnestly. “And please let me know if there’s anything else I can do for sir Mikleo.” Quickly, the woman hurried down the long tent and back out into the sun.

Edna snickered again, “Sir.”

The group waited in silence. There wasn’t much to say and they were all worried. But luckily, the woman had hurried as quickly as anyone could and a few moments later she returned with a large bowl filled with ice water and a cloth.

“Here,” she thrust the items out to Sorey. “Anything to help.”

Sorey said his thanks, but then asked for some privacy. The inn keeper, eager to please, hurried back out of the tent, reminding him yet again that she’d do anything she could for him and his party.

 _The innkeeper is so nice,_ Sorey thought to himself, even as he turned towards Mikleo's prone, exhausted form laying on the bed before him. The shepherd sat down on the bed next to Mikleo, gingerly placing the bowl and cloth on the nightstand right next to the bed for easy access. Then, he leaned forward and brushed the bangs off of Mikleo's pinkened forehead.

 _He's so warm,_ Sorey thought. It was a shame he was getting to touch Mikleo's hair under these circumstances. Typically, he wasn't allowed. Not ever since that one time he'd incorrectly cut the seraph's hair.

 _I don't know if he'll ever get over that,_ the green-eyed youth thought, before turning his attention towards Mikleo's shoes. Those needed to come off.

He carefully unzipped the pair of boots his companion was wearing, before yanking off his socks too. They were sweaty, but Sorey didn't particularly care. If it was him, he'd want his shoes off. It couldn't be comfortable if one's feet were still sweltering.

Once that was done, Sorey turned his attention back towards Mikleo's head. He carefully removed the golden circlet off of his forehead, placing it in one of his pouches on his belt for safekeeping, before taking the cloth and soaking up some of the cool, refreshing ice water. Then, he wrung it out a little, folded it up, and brushed Mikleo's face with it, careful to keep his bangs out of the way.

"It's okay, Mikleo. I'll take care of you," he said softly, before dipping the rag back into the water, this time placing it carefully on the seraph's forehead and leaving it there.

 _Maybe this will do the trick,_ he thought to himself, wondering if there was more he could do for the other youth's beautiful skin. Would he sunburn? Mikleo had always been so beautifully pale...what would happen now? Would it heal? Was there something he could put on his skin to make it better? He wasn't sure.

In seeing how tenderly Sorey took care of Mikleo, it was Lailah that turned to Zaveid and Edna and said,

“Let’s go out and explore the town. There isn’t anything else we can do for Mikleo here.”

And Edna, who’d known about the two for longer than she’d let on said,

“Yeah. We should give the nerds some space.”

Zaveid, still appearing completely clueless, looked to the other two.

“You mean like scrounge up some info on the iris gems and the malevolence in this area?”

“Oh, yes.” Lailah agreed easily.

“And see some hot desert babes!”

“Uhh…that too I suppose…”

“We’re invisible! They won’t even know we’re here!”

“Let’s not cause trouble for Sorey, Zaveid…”

“Aww alright. I’ll behave.”

The group turned to head out. But before they did Lailah turned and gave a little wink to Sorey. Then the three seraphim were out of the tent, leaving Sorey and Mikleo alone.

Sorey was grateful that Lailah sensed his need to be alone with Mikleo. He turned and gave the fire seraph an appreciative smile, before looking back to the bed where Mikleo laid.

It only took about five seconds of silence for Sorey to lose his composure.

His eyes drew dark, and his mouth twisted into a pained frown.

"Mikleo...." he said simply, his voice soft but full of worried emotion. The shepherd reached out again, brushing back the seraph's bangs from his forehead with a feather-light touch.

"Just please...be alright."

Sorey sat with Mikleo in silence, but only for a few moments. For after only a little while of resting in a cool shaded area, with cold water on his face, Mikleo started to stir. He let out a quiet groan, and his white eyebrows furrowed together in discomfort. Of course, as soon as Mikleo started to stir, Sorey leaned over him eagerly, his green eyes lighting up with anticipation.

“Mikleo?”

In hearing Sorey’s voice, Mikleo turned his head, letting his white bangs fall across his forehead where the cloth rested. Then, his violet eyes weakly fluttered open. He blinked once, then fixed them onto the worried shepherd. Right away a tired smile spread over his face.

“That face doesn’t suit you…” 

Sorey's expression lightened with relief, and a bit of humor in it too, now that Mikleo was awake.

"You had me worried. What was I supposed to do?" the shepherd asked, leaning forward on the bed and propping himself up with his elbows, so he could be closer to the seraph.

"And besides..." and he took the damp rag from its resting place on the seraph's forehead, and dipped it back into the ice water, rang it out, and gently placed it back on the seraph's forehead.

"You're worth being fussed over sometimes, Mikleo. You worried over me when I slept in Ladylake for those three days, right? Now it's my turn to take care of you."

Mikleo chuckled softly.

“I suppose that’s true. Maybe I passed out on purpose to get a little revenge. Make you worry for once…” 

Sorey didn't know how much he liked that thought. But he knew Mikleo was just being silly. The seraph was teasing him...as was his way. And so, Sorey knew better than to take it seriously.

"Well," he said, leaning forward again until he was propped up on his elbows, very close to Mikleo now.

"Your devious plan worked. I've been fussing over you ever since it happened," he confessed. 

“…” At first it looked like Mikleo was trying to come up with another retort, but slowly, the smile on his face started to dwindle away.

“I’m sorry,” he suddenly said instead, glancing away from Sorey. “I’ve been trying to become stronger ever since we started our journey, precisely so that you would never have to worry about me, and so I could be an asset to you, instead of a burden. I don’t like…I don’t like seeing you troubled.” 

Sorey listened carefully. And since he was given a serious response, he took a second to formulate his own. He wanted to get this right.

"Mikleo..." he said, reaching out and taking the seraph's hand, cupping it gently in his own gloved ones.

"You _are_ strong," he reassured. "You're the strongest seraphic artes user we've got on the team. You're even stronger than Lailah. But we were in a situation that couldn’t be helped. The desert...it's just not your element. And that's okay. That's not your fault," Sorey stated, meaning every word of it.

"You're not a burden, Mikleo," he said, squeezing the seraph's slender, pale hand in his own stouter, tanned one. "And it's okay to need help sometimes…right?"

Mikleo kept his gaze on Sorey, and for a second, he just wanted to take in his earnest face. It was Sorey’s sincerity and genuinely sunny disposition that were some of his favorite traits about him. And as soon as Sorey spoke to him, he knew how he had to answer. Smiling softly once more he said,

“Of course.” And then he just couldn’t help himself and added, “Like that time I had to carry you throughout the streets of Ladylake and back to the inn.” He chuckled. “All the humans thought you were floating through midair.” 

Sorey grinned sheepishly, not daring to let go of Mikleo's hand.

"I bet they were thinking some pretty strange things alright," the shepherd agreed, glad that Mikleo wasn't looking as down as he had been a few moments before. "I can't imagine what that would look like..." And his green eyes darted upwards, as he tried to place that image inside of his mind. It only took a second for him to chuckle a little himself.

"I'm forever grateful for that," Sorey said. "I hope I wasn't too heavy..."

“I hope _I_ wasn’t too heavy,” Mikleo retorted. “You had to travel much further distances with me.” And it was clear that Mikleo just _knew_ Sorey had carried him. There was no question, even though Zaveid was bigger and stronger. 

"Of course not!" Sorey said immediately, wanting to quell whatever idea that might've lodged itself inside the seraph's head that he was anything but perfectly lithe and perfect.

"Although, even if you _had_ been bigger, I think I could've handled it," Sorey said with a hint of teasing in his voice. "You're not the only one who's gotten stronger," Sorey said. He wasn't as flashy as Zaveid, so he didn't show off his arms or shoulders, but he didn't feel like he had to. That was Zaveid's style, not his own.

Mikleo picked up on Sorey’s subtle boasting. But it was done in such a tasteful way that he didn’t quite mind. Besides…Sorey had also managed to compliment him in a similarly subtle manner. Mikleo had to admit that he quite enjoyed it.

 _He’s trying to impress me,_ he thought in amusement. And he had to admit, that realization excited him. And he liked that Sorey was trying to make him look favorably upon him very much.

 _Is this…flirting?_ He suddenly wondered. And although he and Sorey had certainly been interested in one another for quite some time now, several years in fact, they had always been in Elysia. Being at home, their little village of seraphs was small. Far too small to get away with much of anything. And it was also Gramp’s domain. Everyone knew everything there was to know about everyone else. And although their seraphim family had always been supportive, it was impossible to allow a budding romance to bloom when there was a family member every ten feet. The only time they could ever get alone was when they were exploring the ruins.

It was always so much fun to explore the ruins together. And it was always so nice to have it be just the two of them. But…they were also both huge nerds. Sorey and Mikleo alike got far too excited about exploring and history, and conversing about the ancient times of Asgard to give themselves the chance to develop anything personally between them.

But now…out on the road, away from home…Mikleo had started to feel more and more of the inklings he had for Sorey back at home. And he felt like he was finally ready to try out something a little different than their usual vanilla relationship. And Sorey…he’d been acting just a little differently too. Maybe being away from home and out on their own was doing some good. But of course it was still difficult because they now traveled with a party of three other seraphim. There were still prying eyes everywhere they went. And so, even though he’d felt something stirring within him, now was really the first moment they’d had alone together.

Mikleo knew right away that they were on the right track. He knew because Sorey’s simple flirtatious sentence had made his heart beat just a little faster. And he knew because he immediately felt the need for more of it. He wanted to do whatever was most natural, and right now, that meant responding in kind.

Shifting in bed, Mikleo pushed himself up on his elbows. Then carefully, since he still wasn’t sure how well he felt, he sat up. Sorey was still holding his hand, and now they were face to face and at the same level, their noses perhaps only an inch or two apart. Mikleo removed the cloth from his forehead, laying it in the bowl beside them. Then he turned and looked Sorey directly in his spring green eyes.

“We’ve both gotten stronger,” he said. “And we’ve both grown so much. We’re not kids anymore. And I think our dream to make a world where humans and seraphim can live together is growing and changing too.”

Sorey wasn't entirely sure what exactly Mikleo was talking about, since such subjects like dreams could be so ambiguous, but...at the same time, his heart felt like it knew the truth behind the seraph's words.

He felt a tug from somewhere inside when Mikleo spoke, and he found himself aware of how close Mikleo was. And how nice it felt to be holding his slender hand in his own.

"Yeah..." he agreed, his lips curving up in a smile, "I think it is," the shepherd agreed simply, his green eyes sparkling with happiness and amusement.

 _Maybe...it's not enough for us to just live in the same world together. Maybe...it should be, humans and seraphim should be able to have...something more, together,_ Sorey dared to think.

It would be a lie if he ever said he hadn't thought about what it'd be like to kiss Mikleo. He'd thought of that for a long time. But being in Gramp's domain, with everyone always around the two of them...Sorey had always felt like they were being watched. It just hadn't been a good place to foster anything further between them.

But now...now they were away from all of that. And now, maybe...something more could happen.

 _The world is our oyster...or something,_ Sorey thought, even as he studied Mikleo's face for clues as to what the seraphim was thinking.

It was almost maddening sometimes how simplistic Sorey could be. It was one of the traits Mikleo liked best about him. There was something so refreshing about his innocent naivety, but at the same time there had been moments when that trait of his made Mikleo want to scream or bang his head into a wall. This was one of those moments.

Still, despite how his answer made him want to hit him, it was still somehow sweet. And Mikleo didn’t think he imagined that something in Sorey’s leaf green eyes. He got it. Mikleo could see that Sorey understood, at least a little bit of what he’d said.

_With Sorey being who he is…I’ll have to be almost shamefully direct with him. But…I don’t know if I have that in me yet. We’re both so new…and I don’t even know what it is I’m looking for. All I know…is I want to try something more._

He suddenly felt nervous, and his heart was beating just a little faster again when he even thought for a second about what it might be like to be direct or to try and voice these thoughts to Sorey. Being direct like that…just wasn’t his style.

_But Sorey’s so slow. He’ll need me to spell it out for him…_

But when Mikleo thought about it yet again, the pounding in his chest grew worse, and he knew he couldn’t ever say something so obvious. And so, a quick displeased frown cut through his face and he let off a ‘tsk.’ Lifting his chin and closing his eyes the way he did when he was agitated or annoyed, he glanced away.  
“You’re so simplistic. Sometimes it drives me crazy.” 

For a second, it looked like Mikleo was struggling with something. And then, he was displeased.

Sorey didn't understand.

He blinked his green eyes, looking confused.

"...Huh? I...did I...do something?" Sorey asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, his face full of innocence and naiveté. And he had no idea how _cute_ Mikleo thought that confused look actually was.

The shepherd looked to the side, clearly trying to think of what might've transpired without his noticing, but he couldn't figure it out.

"W-well...that's...probably true. But...it's also the part of me that you like the most, right?" he asked teasingly, his green eyes brightening again now that he wasn't so confused.

Because he might not understand _why_ Mikleo reacted the way he did, but he knew that Mikleo liked him. And he could respond to that.

A quick pink color came to Mikleo’s cheeks when he was called out on his liking of the annoying trait he just pointed out. But he wondered if he was lucky enough for it to not be noticed due to his sunburn.

“I-I like other things about you! At least things better than _that!”_ he cried. But in his indignant rush to defend himself from liking such a displeasing trait, he didn’t realize that he admitted to liking far more about Sorey than he’d meant to. And as soon as the sentence left his mouth, his blush grew far worse.

“I-I mean…I…” 

Sorey felt his heart give a sudden _lurch,_ and just like that, he felt his shoulders tense and his heartbeat increase.

He wasn't as aware of his blushing tendencies as Mikleo; as such, he had no idea that he was sporting one now too.

"Y-you do? Like...other things too? Hahaha, wow, um, like what?" Sorey said, before grinning dopily.

"I mean, 'cause that's good, because...." but Sorey couldn't seem to find the words in him to continue.

 _Because what?_ Mikleo stared at Sorey, his pink-purple eyes suddenly huge. For a second, he thought Sorey was going to say with words something they’ve known for years. But…Sorey, like himself, didn’t seem like he was ready. And so, both young men stopped and Mikleo found that they were both simply staring at each other with bated breath, their hearts pounding away.

Mikleo was suddenly aware of how stupid both of them must have looked. If anyone walked into the tent, like say, one of their friends, they’d both be caught red-handed: or…red-faced. 

He knew he had to answer, or at the very least, say _something._

“I…y-you already know the things I like about you,” he almost accused. “And you know what I think of you.”

And in saying those words, Mikleo suddenly started to calm back down. After all, his words were true. It was silly to get so upset and flustered, after all: they both already understood how important the other was. They knew that they loved one another, deeply. And no one was more important to them than the other person. This had been true for as long as Mikleo could remember. And so there was nothing to fear. There was never anything to fear with Sorey. The only trick now, was figuring out how to grow into that love outwardly.

 _But this is Sorey we’re talking about. This is us. And nothing’s ever been too frightening or too hard when we do it together._

Mikleo sighed. His color in his cheeks fading away once more, he looked to the person he’d loved since childhood. His violet eyes deep, he locked gazes with Sorey once more to try yet one more time. 

“And I know how you feel about me.” Very calm this time, he continued. But not before squeezing Sorey’s hand just a little more tightly. “I’ve been thinking, ever since the battle in the basin…I’ve thought…that maybe you and I should-!”

“Hey! Mikky-boy’s awake!” Came Zaveid’s loud, obnoxious, grotesquely interrupting voice. And as he ran into the tent all smiles, Mikleo immediately let out a loud, almost painful sounding groan followed by a sigh. Tearing his hand away from Sorey, since he certainly didn’t feel like dealing with coming out to Zaveid just yet when he was already dealing with so much, he lifted his other hand and put it to his head, appearing very much as if he suddenly had a pounding migraine.  
“Thank God you’re ok!” Zaveid cried as he reached the bedside. “We were so worried about you little man!”

Mikleo couldn’t helped it, the interruption was so ill timed that he felt like dying. He groaned all over again.

“Kill me now…”

“Ooo! That bad huh? Headache from all the sun? Want me to punch it outta ya?”

“Yes. Punch me back into unconsciousness…”

Lailah and Edna much more cautiously entered back into the tent. And Lailah at least had seen how the boys had been holding hands and quickly pulled apart when Zaveid entered. A deeply sympathetic look came over her face.

“I told him you probably weren’t awake yet Mikleo. But he insisted on coming back here to check on you.”

“Yeah! Good thing I did! Cuz he _is_ awake! I told you!”

Edna sighed, “You’re the worst at reading the mood…” 

Everything calmed down as soon as Mikleo responded. Of course Sorey knew what the seraph liked about him. And vice versa. They knew each other so well...so of course there was nothing to be nervous or embarrassed about. They both knew...how important and irreplaceable they were to each other.

Sorey cherished the feeling of being so close to his companion. And nothing was better than when Mikleo gripped his hand a little more tightly. When the shepherd realized he was trying to tell him something, Sorey unconsciously sat up a little straighter, his eyebrows rising and he listened.

_He's...been thinking? About something, since the battle in the basin?_

But before Mikleo got a chance to finish, Zaveid burst in...and Sorey suddenly found his hand empty and a little colder than before.

Mikleo had pulled away.

Even as easy-going as Sorey usually was, he was still a little miffed that Zavied had interrupted something so important. Mikleo had been so close to finishing his thought...and Sorey really, really wanted to know what he was about to say.

The shepherd sighed, his bright green eyes a little more downcast than usual, as he looked away. The expression was only present on his face for a moment though, before he looked back to Lailah.

"He's definitely awake, and I'd say feeling better," Sorey said, before looking back to his disconcerted love interest. "Right, Mikleo?"

Mikleo was feeling better: physically. But at the moment, emotionally, he wanted very much to cast the spell he’d just learned to disappear. But even though he had the ability to disappear, whereas others did not, he knew casting such a spell now would be an admittance of what had just transpired. And if he did that, the other seraphim would know. And he certainly didn’t want any of them too deeply involved in his business with Sorey.

And so, he sat up a little taller, squared back his shoulders, lifted his chin, and faced the others as he normally would have. Wearing as normal and stoic a face as ever, he responded,

“I’m fine,” he confirmed. “Just a little overheated. Sorry for delaying the journey.”

“I’d say you sped the journey up!” Zaveid said. “We ran that last mile here and you were only unconscious for a few minutes.”

“All the same,” Mikleo, for the first time since he woke up, actually looked at himself and his appearance. Once discovering the discrepancies, he began fixing them. As dutiful and diligent as ever, he brushed some dust particles off of his shoulders. Then, lifting both hands, he ran them through his snowy white locks, smoothing them back into place. Within only a second or two, he appeared as crisp and clean as always, even with his blue outer coat still unzipped halfway. He wasn’t fool enough to bring it back up, even though he wanted too. Overheating again wasn’t an option.

Looking around the room, he spotted his boots near the foot of the bed. Pointed to them, he looked to Sorey,

“My boots please,” he requested in a business like way. But as soon as he did, it was Lailah that stepped forward, looking worried.

“You can’t mean to head back out already,” she said. “Surely you should rest at least a little longer.”

“Well, we’ve made it to Lowgrin, which had been our goal from the start,” Mikleo said, looking to the fire seraph. “Maybe I’m not ready to go trouncing around through any ruins yet, but we just wanted to walk around town and gather information on the iris gems and the malevolence in this area, right? I can certainly handle a leisurely walk around town.”

The change in Mikleo's attitude was instant, but understandable. He didn't want anyone else seeing him vulnerable or emotional. That's just the way he was.

Truthfully, Sorey sort of liked that about him. He was so...proper, but passionate, and to-the-point. He didn't mince words, and he could handle situations ten times better than what people assumed.

Still. Sorey was sorry to see him have to revert to his 'public face'. He'd liked the conversation that they were having. But...that would have to wait until later.  
The shepherd was quick to react when Mikleo wanted his boots. He fetched them for Mikleo, along with a fresh pair of socks from one of the bags.

"I'm okay if you want to take a look around. I'd like to see what's in Lowgrin, too. I haven't had a chance to see everything yet either," Sorey said. "If," he said, offering the socks to Mikleo, "you start to feel dizzy or overheated again, we can just come back here," he said in a placating way. "The inn keeper was really understanding, and she knows that I'm the shepherd, and that you guys are with me. She's already offered her help if we need anything. I'm sure she'd be okay if we had to come back later."

Truthfully, he wasn't sure if Mikleo was physically one hundred percent ready just yet. But Sorey knew that emotionally, he was done. He needed a change of scenery. Sorey would back him up on his need to get out of the tent.

Mikleo’s face remained stoic on the outside as he said “thanks” and took his shoes from Sorey, but inside he was smiling. Sorey always knew when to back him up, and he never treated him as if he was anything less than strong and capable. Well…except that one time at the start of their journey. But they had already worked through that painful argument together.

Pulling on his boots, Mikleo then stood up from his bed on a pair of perfectly steady feet. Sorey handed him his circlet, which he put back onto his now dry, white forehead. Despite Sorey’s worry about his skin, Mikleo appeared as if he’d be just fine. After all, Seraph’s healed much quicker than humans, and an injury to them would disappear perhaps in a day if for a human it would take a week. Mikleo’s sun burnt skin was already starting to look a little more like it’s natural color than before.

Mikleo gave himself a nice, long, drink of water. Although seraphim technically didn’t need food or drink to survive, it was certainly refreshing and cooled him off considerably. Then after offering some to the others, they were set to go.

The group emerged from the tent, and when the inn keeper saw Sorey, her eyes lit up.

“Does this mean everything’s alright? How is seraph Mikleo?”

As always, making sure Sorey didn’t forget his manners, and also making sure he was heard by the human who couldn’t see him, Mikleo elbowed his childhood friend in the side.

“Thank her properly. And tell her we’re grateful for her help.” 

Sorey almost chuckled out loud. It was nice to have Mikleo there by his side, reminding him how to properly communicate with other humans. He may be human, but that didn't mean he always knew what was proper or polite. Of course, the shepherd had a feeling that even if he knew good and well how to respond, Mikleo would still be there, reminding him of how to act.

The green-eyed youth turned his attention back towards the inn keeper, and gave her a polite bow.

"Mikleo is feeling much better. Thank you so much for asking, and for everything you've done," he said, righting himself once again. "We're so grateful for your help. You're a life saver!" And he gave the older woman a big grin, his eyes crinkling up in happiness.

His gratitude was sincere. That's just how Sorey was.

“Oh how wonderful!” The inn keeper said, clearly relieved that the seraphim of water was ok. Then, turning her eyes away from Sorey, she searched the areas to both the left and right of him, but of course couldn’t see Mikleo or the other seraphs. 

“Seraph Mikleo, and all of the shepherds other companions, please know you’re welcome here any time. Come and go as you please.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you,” they said automatically, even knowing she couldn’t hear them. Then, once they said their goodbyes, they were off to explore the town.

For a while, all they did was speak to the locals to gather information. They found out very quickly that the ruins Sorey had been speaking about before in the desert were still known about by the locals. The Gangaren Ruins were said to be north east of the town. But of course, like with any ruins, they were warned that there was still plenty of danger there. By speaking with just a few more people, they also discovered that this seemed to be one of the sources of malevolence in the desert area. The other seemed to be stemming from an old abandoned town in the North West. Some of the locals said they saw a ghost or monster in the abandoned village.  
“It’s a fairly long way off, maybe a day’s journey, but there’s an oasis along the way that would allow you to rest,” is what they were told when Sorey inclined about the hot desert conditions along the route. Mikleo, knowing perfectly well why he asked such a question, said nothing as he crossed his arms over his chest and glanced sourly off and to the side. 

Finally, after talking to most everyone they could find and learning about the new area, they reconvened near the center of the tiny tent town.

“So what do you think?” Mikleo asked.

“There’s two locations for us to visit,” Lailah reiterated. “Although it’s late in the day and we should start off fresh tomorrow morning, a decision still needs to be made about where we should head first.”

Mikleo let a small grin play over his pale lips, “Well, I think Sorey already knows my vote.”

"Sure do!" Sorey said with a quick nod. How could he not know? Because he also wanted to visit... "The Gangaren Ruins!"

And then he turned to look at the water seraph. "This'll be so great! There's no telling what we'll find in there," he said.

_Plus, it'll give you more time to relax. A trip to the ruins, somewhere where there won't be a lot of sun for a while, sounds better than an entire day's journey through the desert._

Sorey turned towards the rest of the group, eagerness shining in his eyes.

"Lailah, Edna, Zavied, what do you guys think?"

Just because he was the shepherd didn't mean he wanted to ignore everyone else's wishes. What the rest of his team thought was important, too. And so, if the others would rather find the abandoned town first, then he'd listen to that and act accordingly.

Edna was the first to speak, “God help us if we prevent these two super nerds from seeing their precious ruins. I vote for the ruins too, simply for the fact that I don’t want to hear them whine about it for an entire days trek through the desert.”

Lailah giggled, then gave her answer next, “I’ve already told you Sorey, I’m with you no matter what you decide. As long as you’re working toward your own answer.”  
Zaveid let out a ‘tsk’ and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Guess I’m the only one who wanted to see this monster first before the ruins. But of course, as Edna said, what do you expect from these guys.”

“We’re in agreement then,” Lailah said, folding her hands together. “We’ll rest up first, then head to the ruins tomorrow.”

Mikleo couldn’t quite hide all of his excitement: ruins were ruins, no matter where they traveled. And all of them were fun and interesting to explore. And what was more was that of course, it was one of the things that made Sorey and Mikleo feel closest to one another. And so, the grin that spread across his face was quite noticeable. Edna was the one to point it out,

“See. That goofy grin on Meebo’s face is proof enough. If we’d kept these freaks away from their ruins they’d be crying about it for days.”

“I’m allowed to be excited,” Mikleo defended. “And I wouldn’t cry about it. I have more grace than that.”

Sorey threw both of his arms up in celebration.

"All right!" he whooped, excited that everyone was on board with going to the ruins. Either they were being really nice to him and Mikleo, or they truly didn't want to deal with their whining through the desert.

"He really does," Sorey said in response to Edna's comment. "Mikleo never cries. Even that one time when I..." But then Sorey stopped himself, suddenly looking sheepish. Maybe he shouldn't tell the others about the hair cutting incident. It was the only thing he'd ever done that had made the seraph truly upset and angry with him.

"I mean, Mikleo is just...really good with handling things. He's always got a good control on his emotions." And then he smiled a little funnily, clearly looking guilty about something, but trying to hide it as best as possible.

"Anyway! Let's see what we can eat around here! I'm definitely hungry," he said, hoping that no one would ask what he was about to let slip.

As soon as Sorey opened his mouth, Mikleo shot him a hard-core warning glare. His violet eyes were nearly flashing with danger, and it was clear that he knew exactly what Sorey had almost let slip. But of course, it was too late. Zaveid: king of ‘being-in-your-business’ was already at their side as fast as the wind. Leaning in over Sorey, his eyes were aglow with curiosity.

“Ooo! Ooo! That time when you what?” He asked, looking like a child in a candy store. “What did you do?” And then, before Sorey could even stutter, Zaveid turned his eager gaze to Mikleo. “What did he almost do to you?”

It was Edna that let out the sudden “PHHT!” snort of amusement. And judging by her face, her mind had just gone into a very racy place. When Mikleo saw her expression, his cheeks started to burn.

“Shut up! It wasn’t like that! You can wipe that smirk off your face Edna!”

“What was it like then Meebo?” She asked, her smirk only growing, for clearly she’d found an easy way to wedge herself up underneath his skin. And now, Zaveid was looking back and forth between Edna and Mikleo, a look of confusion entering his curiosity.

“Like what now?” Blinking, he tried to take in what was happening around him. “Is something going on here that I don’t get?”

“Let’s keep it that way,” Mikleo said spitefully, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from everyone while sticking his nose in the air.

“Hey that’s not fair! Why does Edna know something I don’t? Don’t you guys trust me? Come on, let good ol’ Zaveid in on all your secrets!”

“As if!”

And it was clear poor Mikleo was truly starting to get worked up about things. And seeing it unfold, Lailah, always playing peacekeeper, stepped in once again.  
“Mikleo, Edna only teases you because you make it so easy for her. And Edna, there are certain things that should be off limits, even for you. Mikleo is sensitive about certain…things.”

“What things!?” Zaveid cried, almost hysterically.

“Nothing’s off limits for me,” Edna replied sourly. “I say what I think.”

 _Uh-oh,_ Sorey thought. _Looks like I accidentally opened a can of worms._ The youth's green eyes filled with guilt and also confusion, for he wasn't sure how to fix the situation.

And of course...now Zavied wanted to talk about 'things', things he and Mikleo weren't ready to talk about. And Edna had made a racy comment.

Sorey blushed, and while he appreciated Lailah's efforts at trying to step in and help, Sorey felt like he had to say something himself and make it better.

"Sorry guys, but...let's let it drop," he tried. "I shouldn't have said anything, anyway. And besides, I really am hungry." As if to emphasize his point, his tummy made a particularly loud growl in agreement. Sorey had the grace himself to look embarrassed.

All the seraphs fell silent for a second, until Lailah said, “The shepherd has spoken. Come on everyone, let’s do as he asked.” Turning, she looked to Edna, who sighed and opened up her umbrella to rest on her shoulder.

“Fine. I’ll stop teasing Meebo…even though it’s so fun. Besides, we have to take care of our human. They have to be kept well fed you know, or they fade away.”  
Mikleo scoffed and it was clear he was still bitter. And something about Edna’s comment about Sorey fading away made his shoulder’s stiffen, “Everything is such a joke to you…”

Lailah, who seemed to understand something the others didn’t, walked up beside Mikleo, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s ok,” she said reassuringly. “Edna said she’d stop. Let’s just focus on getting Sorey some food.”

Mikleo was quiet for a hesitant second, but then looked to Lailah. Once he met her reassuring smile, he nodded, even though he didn’t really look all that reassured.  
“Alright.” Turning so he didn’t need to face Edna, he instead put all of his focus on Sorey. “All the inns at the previous towns had menus. But I’m not sure about Lowgrin, considering the inn is a tent. All the same, it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Also, I have a feeling the inn keeper wants to let us stay for free. The very least we can do is pay for our meals when she offers _those_ for free too.”

Well, things seemed to be a little bit more normal than before. That made the shepherd relax in his boots

"Right," he said, meeting Mikleo's gaze with his own. "She's been more than generous; we'll definitely have to pay her for the meals, if she has any," Sorey said, before turning and heading toward the tent.


	4. Chapter 4: At the Inn

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**

Chapter 4

**

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At the Inn

The nice Inn Keeper was sitting outside, looking around the town for any hopeful visitors who would, no doubt, need some place to get cooled off from the desert.  
"Excuse me? Miss?" Sorey said politely, waiting until the older woman stood up from her seat in polite greeting.

"Oh, Sir Shepherd! Is everything alright? Can I get you anything?"

"Actually, we were wondering if there was a place to get any food? We weren't sure if you provided that for us, or if we needed to look around town," Sorey said straightforwardly.

"Oh!" the woman said, her brown eyes lighting up with delight. "We have several things available for you and your companions. Let me get you a list of what we have, and you can choose what you like. Don't worry about payment, it's-"

"Of course we'll pay you," Sorey said quickly. "Please. It's the least we can do," he said. "We're already taking up space in your tents for free, and...it just wouldn’t' feel right, not paying you for the food as well."

The Inn Keeper continued to look uncertain, even as she handed Sorey a menu of what was available.

"Please," Sorey asked. "If you're still uncomfortable with it, just...think of it as you letting me not have a guilty conscience?" he half-asked, half-stated.

The Inn Keeper's shoulders relaxed, and she smiled at Sorey.

"Well alright. I think that sounds fair," she replied with some mirth.

"Let me know what you and your companions would like, and I will see to it," and she bowed politely to Sorey, before standing and waiting patiently.

"Right," he said in response, before pushing himself back through the entrance of the tent, and held up the menu proudly to the others.

"Okay! So, it looks like we have some options," he said to the others. "They've got...some sort of beef stew, a spinach lorraine quiche, a....lizard kabob, and I'm not so sure what Pot au Feu is but they have that too. Oh, and baked potatoes and simmered cactus," Sorey said, before holding the menu towards the others.

He wasn't so sure how good cactus would taste like, but he had to admit he was curious. 

“A very…eclectic menu,” Mikleo commented. “But I suppose we’re on this journey for the experience of it after all. And since that’s the case, I will try the cactus.”  
“That’s pretty brave of you,” Zaveid said. “Don’t cactuseses, have spikes on them?”

“Cact _i_ ,” Mikleo corrected. “And yes. But I assume the chef would remove them before serving. It would be a liability otherwise.”

“I wouldn’t assume anything. I once ate something called escargot, and it came _inside_ the snail shell. I learned pretty quick you don’t want to eat those.”

Mikleo couldn’t help himself, he chuckled. Lifting a hand to cover his mouth, he didn’t want to appear _too_ amused at Zaveid’s mistake.

"What's...escargot?" Sorey asked, eyebrows raised. "Snail?" And he looked to Mikleo, whose facial expression confirmed it.

"Well, I'm willing to try just about anything at least once," Sorey said. "So I think I'll take the lizard kabobs. Who knows, maybe they're delicious and we just don't know about it," he said. He'd had the mind to order the cactus...but didn't want to copy Mikleo's order. Besides, Sorey knew he'd be able to snag a piece off of the seraph's plate. They sometimes shared food, so it wouldn't be a big deal.

After they all ordered, the inn keeper showed them to a separate tent that they had for dining. Inside was a long wooden table and a few smaller tables with chairs. A few other people were dining in as well, but their group, being the biggest, took the large table.

At first, a lot of the other humans were confused to as why the inn keeper gave such a huge table to just one man, but then their eyes widened with shock when they saw four other chairs pull out seemingly on their own. And what was more, was that when utensils and glasses were brought out, those seemed to float in midair as if someone invisible were holding them. And the man who sat at the table was clearly having some sort of conversation that they could only hear one side of.

“That…that must be the shepherd!” Came the impressed whispers. But Sorey and the seraphim were used to such things from onlookers at that point in their journey, and so they carried on like always. 

Sorey had been right about sharing food, and once it came, Mikleo had no shame about stealing one of his lizard kabobs. And of course, he offered Sorey about half of his cactus. The two were precious, and clearly interested in one another. Lailah ate it up, Edna ignored it, and Zaveid was as clueless as ever.

“Here try the scorpion too!” Mikleo said, eagerly scooping some of the minced scorpion meat onto Sorey’s plate. “We should familiarize ourselves with as much native cuisine as we can while we travel. That way when we write our book, we won’t leave out any details.”

“Oh, a book?” Lailah questioned, looking intrigued. Mikleo nodded, an excited smile coming over his face.

“Yes. Although we can’t pretend it’ll be even close to on par with the Celestial Record, keeping a tome of our journey around the world is something we’ve always wanted to do. It only makes sense to write it all down once we’re done.”

Looking back to Sorey, Mikleo let out a laugh of amusement when he saw Sorey looking warily at his scorpion meat.

“I’ve already tried some Sorey. And none of the venom is in it, I promise. I read a cook book once that said the chef chops off the tail before de-shelling it.”

Sorey's face remained dubious.

"Well, alright...if you say so," he said, and took a brave bite. Much to his surprise, it wasn't all that bad, actually. A little spicy, but that he could deal with.

"Mmn! Not bad!" he mumbled, then took another bite. "I actually really like the flavor. Who would've thought? Thanks Mikleo," he said with a smile, ignoring the rest of the dining room as much as possible.

He heard what they were saying...but at this point in their journey he was so used to it, it didn't faze him all that much anymore.

"And yeah! We're definitely going to write a book. There's so much to record already, and I feel like our journey has just started. I have a feeling it's going to take us a while to write it all down..." and he bit off a bite of his kabob, swallowed, and then continued on, all in a span of about two seconds. "But it's going to be great. I just know it."

“Don’t choke on your food Sorey,” Mikleo scolded. “Chew.”

Sorey laughed, then smiled at him in that way that always made his heart contract. Sometimes he was just too cute. Turning away and back to his own food, Mikleo took up another bite of cactus. It was a nice cool dish, and he usually preferred plants over meat. And so he rather liked it. Besides, Cacti were mostly made of water, so it was within his element.

After dinner, they paid the nice inn keeper, then they all departed and headed back over toward the inn’s tent. Mikleo watched as Sorey stretched, rubbed his stomach, and commented, like always, on how full he was. 

Mikleo always marveled at the human body. Sorey was always talking about his gastrointestinal tract. If it wasn’t gas, it was a stomach ache, or if neither of those things, then he was hungry, or nauseous, or…worse things that Mikleo wished didn’t have to happen to Sorey. He spoke of feeling full a lot too.

Seraphim never experienced those things, and Mikleo mostly only ate because it was a bonding experience with Sorey. That and he liked the taste of most foods of course. But he simply never could know all of the other things Sorey spoke of concerning his body. It was at moments such as these that he was reminded of the fact that they were indeed different, and that no matter how close they were, there were sometimes things between them.

Mikleo never liked feeling separate from Sorey. And so he, and he knew Sorey too, worked very hard to bridge those differences. It was one of his favorite parts of their relationship. Working so hard to understand one another, even when unable to experience something themselves, showed the other person how much they truly cared.

Mikleo had spent plenty of times taking care of Sorey when he was sick with either a virus, fever, or other bug. And Sorey did plenty to bridge that distance for him too. Sorey had once spent an entire day not speaking to anyone in the village in an attempt to understand how it might feel to not be heard or seen by human beings. It had been one of the sweetest things he’d ever done. 

Mikleo smiled warmly in remembrance of it, and during their walk back, he couldn’t help but to bring it up.

“Do you remember that time when we were twelve and you’d just learned that humans could neither see, nor hear seraphim?” Mikleo asked. He looked to Sorey affectionately. “You wanted to know what that might feel like for me, if we ever left the village, and so you vowed to take a day of silence?”

Sorey looked back to watch Mikleo as he spoke, green eyes full of curiosity, then remembrance, as he recalled the event Mikleo was describing.

"Yeah, I remember. It was...so startling to learn that," he started, before swallowing and looking straight ahead again. "I remember being really upset about it, thinking about what it would be like for you. And so I just had to know, for myself, what that might be like, not being able to speak to anyone else," he said, before stopping in place and looking directly at Mikleo again.

He was silent for just a second, but quickly started up again. "It was hard," he confessed. "And I never want you, or any of the other seraphim, to feel like you don't belong in this world. So, that's why...one of the reasons why, I have to make that dream a reality," Sorey said seriously.

The shepherd didn't add in the part that he thought it was a crying shame other humans couldn't see how beautiful Mikleo actually was...because he wasn't ready to say that just yet. But all the same, the youth thought it. And that thought made an almost imperceptible smile creep up his lips, before it subtly changed into his normal one.

"Anyway...we'll get there. Together," he said, before extending his arm and holding it out for an affectionate bump, the way they did sometimes.

Sorey’s grin was contagious, and so Mikleo couldn’t help but to smile too. Lifting his own arm, they bumped them together, forming a cross as they did so.

“I had to run around and explain to everyone what you were doing. It was a real pain,” he said. “And I explained to you that since we lived in Elysia, there was no point in doing such a stunt, because when would I ever be among humans? But you didn’t care. You were stubborn, even back then.”

But despite some of the negative wording in Mikleo’s comments, it was clear by his expression how much such a thing had meant to him. Even Zaveid saw it.  
“D’aww, you two dudes are _seriously_ close!” he commented, seeming impressed. But the poor bastard clearly still hadn’t put the pieces together.

“You can’t fix an idiot,” Edna commented.

Sorey just laughed.

"Well, yeah," he continued. "Mikleo and I have done everything together since we were babies. Gramps raised us together. And I know...we were just in Elysia, but there was no way I wasn't going to do that for you, Mikleo. And it was also for me too, you know. So I could understand you better," he said, understanding that although the water seraph had some sass to him, he said everything with affection.

Mikleo was quiet for just a second, then said softly, “I know.”

The group reached the inn tent. Stepping inside, they found the inn keeper had rearranged things for them. They would be the only people spending the night, so she’d lined up five beds in a row for them, having asked Sorey earlier how many seraphim were in his party. And as soon as they stepped in, three out of the five people in their group whooped for joy.

“Oh my GOD! Our own beds!” Zaveid cried with delight. “No more sleeping on the floor for me!” And then of course, he leaned in very closely to Lailah, a sly, flirtatious grin overtaking his tanned face. “Although as I mentioned at the past several inns, I wouldn’t have minded sharing.”

Lailah, stepping away from Zaveid before he had a chance to rest his arm on her shoulder, flurried over to one of the aforementioned beds.  
“Oh my!” she said with delight. “Edna and I won’t have to share!”

“Thank God!” Edna said. “Sleeping next to you is like sleeping next to an oven. I wake up sweltering.”

Zaveid, clearly excited, looked over to Sorey and Mikleo, wanting them to join in on the joy. 

“And Sorey and Mikleo won’t have to share anymore either!”

But, oddly, at least oddly to Zaveid, Mikleo and Sorey didn’t look happy. The bed situation had been something unpredictable at the start of their journey. As soon as Lailah had joined the group, and before the townspeople knew Sorey was the shepherd, it only made sense to get one room with two beds. It would have looked weird for Sorey to get more than one room, since the humans thought he was traveling alone. And with Lailah in the party, it only made sense to have the two boys share and let her have the other bed. 

That custom continued throughout the entire rest of their journey. Even later on in other towns and after Zaveid and Edna joined the group, they only ever got two rooms because that equaled four beds. That meant two people still had to share. And Mikleo and Sorey had already explained to everyone that they used to sleep together all the time as children. And so, they continued to do so, never having mentioned that after they got older…Gramps had basically forced the two to get their own houses in order to separate them…because it was clear what was developing between them. 

And so, the journey had given them a perfect excuse to start sharing again. And now, neither of them wanted to stop. But now…with five beds presented to them, neither could come up with a logical reason why they might continue to do so. With Zaveid out of the loop it would look weird. 

“What’s wrong with you guys?” Zaveid asked, noting their crestfallen faces. “Your own beds! Come on! Isn’t that great? Now you can stretch out your arms and your legs! You don’t have to share the blankets!”

Knowing they were already dangerously close to giving themselves away, Mikleo quickly answered.

“Yeah,” he said, trying to fix his face back into its usual stoic position. “Sorey is a pretty awful blanket hog.”

"What?" Sorey said, whipping his head to the side. "I...I am _not_ ," he protested, all the while knowing it was sort of true.

"You're just as guilty of that as I am," he retorted. "And I don't have ice feet," he said, even while crossing his arms over his chest and acting like that actually bothered him.

For they both knew...it didn't. Sorey liked being Mikleo's foot warmer. And...everything else warmer. The bed was just...nicer with him in it.  
_Well...this is definitely not so great._

“BWAHA HA HA!” Zaveid roared. “Ice feet! I bet Mikky has the worst ice feet in the world since he’s a water seraph!”

A quick, pink, blush came to Mikleo’s face, mainly because it was very true and he couldn’t deny it, but also because no one else had ever known about his ice feet until now.

“Maybe my feet wouldn’t be so cold if I had some blankets to put on them!” he retorted. Zaveid only laughed harder. As he laughed, Mikleo started over to the bed second away from the wall. He knew there was no putting off the fact that he had to choose a bed, but at the very least, he chose one that had an empty partner beside it. Making sure not to face the others, he let his disappointment come over his features. Sighing to himself, he lifted a hand to the zipper of his cloak and started to undress. The others were doing the same. Having been traveling together for so long now, and sharing such tight quarters, everyone had simply learned to look away as everyone else changed. Well…except for one.

“Zaveid, get out while we change,” Edna demanded. 

“Ugh, fine. Single me out, as always.”

“We wouldn’t have to if you could just keep your eyes to yourself.”

Slipping out of his cloak, leaving a black undershirt beneath, Mikleo folded his clothes carefully and lay it on the floor just beside his bed. Then, he moved to remove his pants in a similar fashion. Beneath, he had a pair of white stretch shorts so as not to reveal anything to their traveling companions. And since he was a seraph and not a human, he didn’t need to change clothes. 

He didn’t sweat…well…except in extreme circumstances like today. But even then, his sweat didn’t smell like a human’s. He had no body odor and Sorey had often told him he smelt like fresh rainwater all the time. And since his clothes were already dry, they didn’t need to be cleaned. He himself never had to bathe unless dirt got on him. Daily hygiene wasn’t something he had to do and was very similar to how he didn’t have to eat. But he did both simply because he lived with a human. He’d gotten into the habit of brushing his hair and his teeth because Sorey did it. 

Gramp’s had encouraged it. He said that it was important for Sorey to see other’s doing the same daily activities as himself. He explained to Mikleo once that because Sorey needed to do such things, it would make him feel bad if he thought he was burdening the others with chores that they themselves didn’t need to do. But Mikleo had never thought of it as a burden. After all, he’d been raised beside him, and so ever since he was a baby he’d been doing the same things as Sorey. It wasn’t just habit, it was a comforting daily routine. No matter where they were or what they were going through, bodily function and hygiene had to occur.

Using his magic to call fourth their bag in the same way he called fourth his staff, Mikleo set it on top of his bed. Then, ruffling through, he withdrew the toothpaste they shared, and then both of their toothbrushes.

“Here’s your Sorey,” he said, holding his out to him. “I’ll make you your usual ice cup with water for rinsing.”

Sorey had, somewhat dejectedly on the inside, hurried over towards the bed right next to Mikleo's and started to change. Unlike his seraph companion, he did sweat, and he was worried that he did smell a bit. But as of right now, there was no place to bathe. And so, he was stuck feeling a little grimy and sweaty from the day's journey.

He'd taken off his shepherd cloak and his dark blue outer shirt, and stayed in the black undershirt that clung to his skin. Sorey frowned. He didn't like the fact that it felt like it was clinging to his skin. And he really didn't like his very human smell.

Why couldn't he smell like Mikleo, who always seemed so fresh and dewy? Like a mountain spring, or a summer rain.

 _Well..._ Sorey thought. _At least he won't have to deal with my human smell, since....we won't be sharing a bed tonight._

Even as he thought it, he felt saddened. He'd like to think that Mikleo might not mind so much.

With an imperceptible sigh, he shrugged off his pants, revealing shorts not dissimilar to Mikleo's. And of course, he put his things on the floor next to the bed too. They weren't as folded or as pristine as Mikleo's pile, but at least he'd tried.

He looked up right as he was tucking away his socks to find Mikleo's hand outstretched, offering his toothbrush.

Sorey straightened up with a smile, and took it from the other young man.

"Thanks, Mikleo. Don't know what I'd do without you," he commented, meaning it. And...at least, if he brushed his teeth, _that_ part of himself wouldn't be so odorous.

Mikleo’s eyes, as always, lingered just a little bit too long on Sorey’s body as he changed. But at this point in their lives, he was well disciplined, and so after handing off Sorey’s toothbrush to him, he quickly looked away once more and turned his attention back toward their bag. He never let himself indulge too much on Sorey’s looks, lest someone catch him. And he was so well trained to pretend that he wasn’t as infatuated as he was, from living in Elysia with so many prying eyes around, that it was only second nature to continue the façade for present company. 

Still, looking away, no one was able to see what he’d captured in his mind. And Mikleo had seen all too clearly the way Sorey’s undershirt had stuck to his skin from sweat, the wet shirt revealing very clearly the type of muscle Sorey had built since the start of their journey. And of course, in his brief glance, Mikleo had also seen the thick thighs Sorey now had from all of their walking and running all across the land. 

Sorey was growing up: fast. And his body was changing with him. Mikleo, as a seraph, didn’t experience such things. His body, he knew, would remain the same for a very long time. Although he was still growing currently too, being so young as he was, he knew he’d hit a point where his looks would simply stop. He would not build muscle from working out or from traveling. He would stay exactly as he was. He wondered if he wasn’t already at that point. He’d stopped growing in height, and Sorey had surpassed him in that aspect. 

Pulling out one of Sorey’s plain tee-shirts and a change of shorts for him to sleep in, Mikleo raised his head and looked to him again, his face carefully crafted to be as stoic as ever. 

“Here, you need a change of clothes,” he said matter-of-fact. “We’ve been trouncing through the desert all day, you’re sweaty.”

And for what must have been the hundredth time since they started their journey, Mikleo couldn’t help but to think of how easy it would be to help Sorey wash himself. Making water was his specialty after all, and if he’d wanted, he could have made Sorey an entire pond. But he knew the suggestion was inappropriate. After all, how would they do such a thing out in a desert town? Just step outside, strip off Sorey’s clothes and then stand there and act as a shower head as he cleaned himself? 

The idea was ludicrous. And besides…Mikleo knew he wasn’t in a place where he could suggest such a thing. After all…he hadn’t even yet found the courage to confront him with his emotions. Their conversation earlier today, although he knew it wasn’t his fault, had felt like a terrible failure.

Waving a hand, and with incredible ease, Mikleo formed the ice cup he’d promised. As always, it was pristine, clear, and as beautiful as if it were made of crystal. Holding it, he waved his other hand over it and filled it with water. Then holding it out, he offered it to Sorey.

“I’ll make us a basin to spit into.”

Edna’s eyes widened with sudden shock at the sentence.

“Wait…what?” she asked. “You’re going to spit into a basin? Why?”

“Sorey’s human,” Mikleo explained calmly. “He needs to brush his teeth or he’ll get cavities or gum disease. In order to do that he uses toothpaste to literally scrub away plaque. But he can’t swallow it, because it’ll upset his stomach.”

Edna scoffed.

“Human’s are so gross…”

“It’s not gross,” he defended, equally as calmly. “What’s gross is _not_ brushing your teeth. Gramps said a mouth could literally rot if you don’t keep it clean.”  
“Gaah! You’re making it SO much worse! Please stop explaining your disgusting human habits to me.”

It was Mikleo’s turn to scoff. Turning away from Edna, he faced Sorey once more.

“Just ignore her Sorey. She doesn’t understand how important it is.”

As much as he wished they hadn't, Edna's comments hurt a little. Sorey had never been treated as 'gross' or 'weird' or different, and he most certainly had never been called disgusting. He'd been raised in a very supportive community, with seraphs who loved him very much. It hadn't just been Mikleo who'd done things to help Sorey not feel so out of place; the whole village had made themselves houses with rooms and beds, even though they didn't need them.

Because of that, Edna's comments hurt.

A look of disappointment crossed Sorey's face, and his chin tilted a little lower towards his collarbone. But he didn't say anything back in defense. Edna could think he was gross all she wanted. The person who mattered, which was Mikleo, understood him, and didn't think he was gross or disgusting. And so, the water seraph was the one he replied to, instead of Edna.

"Yeah..." he said, but it would be easy for someone to tell that he wasn't exactly happy. "Thanks, Mikleo." Then the shepherd offered a smile.

Mikleo was always defending him, and protecting him. It was sweet, and nice. Sorey would do the same for him in a heartbeat, if anyone ever dared to say something truly upsetting about him, but...

What would they say?

Sorey thought he was perfect. And he didn't have to brush his teeth, but chose to do so anyway, for Sorey. He knew that. And that fact floated around his mind, making him feel instantly happier the more he mulled over it. For if Mikleo was there with him, and understood him...what did it matter what Edna, or anyone else, thought?

Mikleo, of course, saw the expression change on Sorey’s face. And he immediately _hated_ the glimpse of a hurt expression he saw there. He wanted to wipe it away. But he knew better than to say anything now. Focusing on it would only make it worse, and he’d already defended Sorey to the best of his ability. The only thing left he could think of to do…was perhaps spit out his water onto Edna’s head when he was done brushing his teeth. He indulged in the fantasy for a second, but knew he could never seriously do such a thing.

After everyone finished dressing, Zaveid was invited back into the tent so he could change too. While he did so, Edna and Lailah started to settle into bed. That left Sorey and Mikleo to their odd human habits. Brushing their teeth together, as they had always done since they were children, Mikleo found great comfort in the daily routine. It may not have been necessary for his dental health, but it was certainly necessary in other ways. Brushing his teeth with Sorey made him feel close to him.  
“They’ve never witnessed your bathroom habits before, because we’ve always had a decent inn with a restroom for you to use,” Mikleo explained quietly after he finished rinsing. “Other seraphim, who didn’t help raise a human child, like everyone else in Elysia, aren’t accustomed to how humans live. Don’t let it bother you.” Mikleo turned to look to Sorey, then offered a soft smile, “Besides, if you’re strange, then I suppose I’m stranger still. I’m so used to these habits, it feels wrong not to do them, and I have no real need like you do.” 

Mikleo was trying to cheer him up again, and Sorey found that to be just as sweet as some of the ice cream treats the seraph made him sometimes.

"Thanks, Mikleo," he said, quickly rinsing his own mouth. "I know you're right. They just...well, like you said, they haven't been around a human the way you've been with me," he said, taking a break to swish his toothbrush around in the remaining water, to make sure there was no residue left on the brush.

"And I don't think it's strange, not at all," he said, responding to Mikleo's statement about himself. "You've been doing it for as long as I have, so...in a way, it _would_ be wrong to suddenly stop. Plus...it's nice, having someone understand. And sharing in the experience," the shepherd said with a smile, unaware of the fact that the water seraph had been thinking the same exact thing.

Mikleo felt a slight flutter in his chest, the kind of flutter that let him know he had to step away from Sorey before something happened that might give them away in front of the others. And so, he kept it simple and gave a quick clap on Sorey’s shoulder as a show of support before turning away and heading toward his bed. 

“Well, goodnight,” he said. Then he climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his waist, purposefully laying on his side so that he wouldn’t be looking Sorey’s way. If he tried to fall asleep looking at him, he knew he’d only feel heartache from not being able to share the same bed with him. 

Straight away, he felt the bed was cold, and he was already deeply saddened by the distance between them, which was really only three feet or so. But still…it was too much. He’d gotten used to Sorey’s presence. 

Despite his best efforts not to, he sighed. But before anyone might focus on his depressed sigh and ask him anything, he forced his eyes shut. Maybe everyone would leave him alone if he made it clear he didn’t want to be bothered. 

With his mind burdened by the thoughts of his earlier failure to convey himself properly to Sorey, and of course, now, with the painful new distance between them, a cold bed, and Edna’s hurtful comments from earlier about Sorey disappearing: he struggled to fall asleep. And of course, his fears of the malevolence was still swimming around as well. A natural worrier, and a natural caregiver and healer, the journey had long ago started taking a toll on the kind water seraph. And although he certainly was a strong person in mind and spirit, no one was immune to such stress. 

He already knew this must have been the source of his nightmares, which he’d started having weeks ago since the battle. All the same, he didn’t know how to quell them. And so, he did what he always did and he’d been hiding his nightmares, along with everything else, ever since they started in an attempt to protect Sorey. Sorey was already dealing with so much, and the last thing Mikleo ever wanted to be was a burden on him.

 _I came to lighten his load,_ he reminded himself. _To make this journey not only easier for him, but fun. I want to be…his greatest support._ And of course, with those thoughts, he couldn’t help but think to how he’d passed out from the heat earlier in the day. 

His face started to burn at the memory, and just like earlier on, he suddenly wished he could disappear. It’d been so humiliating, and he’d forced Sorey to carry him all the way to town, and then take care of him. 

He felt a pressure start to build in his chest, and to his sudden horror, he found himself fighting tears. 

_Shit!_ Quickly he fought them. But he at least had solace in thinking no one would notice he was so upset. He hid things well. Hell, he was a pro. And the lights were already off in their little tent. The others were no doubt asleep.

After taking a few deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down. 

_I don’t cry damn it!_ He chastised himself. _I’m a support to Sorey! A strong, unmovable support!_ And that started to work. Feeling a little better at the reminder, and using it as always to push away any troublesome feelings that might get in his way of being that pillar of hope for his love, he repeated the message in his mind.  
_I’ll support him. I’ll take care of him. It’s up to me to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid, or get himself hurt. I’m here to be strong._

He repeated other such messages in his mind to himself, using it to chase away the ghouls that had started gathering in his mind and heart at night. And slowly, he started to settle into yet another fitful, restless sleep.

Something about the way Mikleo had said goodnight felt anticlimactic. Sorey wasn't exactly sure why. The other boy had said goodnight in very similar ways before, but something made the shepherd feel as if...it wasn't all Mikleo wanted to say. And that confused Sorey.

 _Maybe he wanted to complain about how...we're not sharing a bed tonight,_ Sorey thought, daring himself to think on it, too, as he padded over towards his own bed, swinging his toned legs underneath the covers mere seconds after Mikleo had nestled himself into his own bed.

He was aware, very much so, of the fact that Mikleo wasn't facing him. And the distance between the two of them was...awful. For all Sorey teased him about having ice feet earlier, the bed was infinitely colder without the seraph's warm, pleasant presence, and Sorey found himself curling his knees up to his chest, feeling out of sorts for more than once that evening.

The shepherd took a deep breath, and forced himself to close his eyes, even though his mind was racing. He thought over a lot of things...about how scared he'd been when Mikleo had collapsed, to how desperate he'd felt to get to the inn, and how relieved he'd been to see the seraph's beautiful amethyst eyes flutter open after Sorey had nursed him back to consciousness.

And then, he thought of other things, too. Like how good it had felt to take care of him. And how good it had felt to hold Mikleo's hand in his own.  
He wanted that again. And more, somehow. He wanted to be close.

Then, he thought of how Mikleo had torn that hand away from him once Lailah and the others had slipped back into the tent, and he remembered how that sudden and surprising feeling of anger had risen up from inside of himself when they'd been interrupted.

Sorey didn't get angry or frustrated very often. But he was definitely feeling frustrated. He was upset that Mikleo had pulled away, and he didn't like that they weren't sharing a bed. He didn't like how Mikleo had, for whatever reason, gotten frustrated with his simplicity, and he...Just felt a lot of things, none of which he knew how to sort through or make sense of.

It was late, he was tired and exhausted from his journey and worrying over his companion, and he was lonely to boot.  
But what could be done about that, right that that moment?

He might not be able to do something directly about the situation with Mikleo right then and there, since...the other boy was asleep and so was everyone else, and he should be too. Well, that was something he could take care of.

Sorey inhaled deeply, silently, smelling the musty smells of the tent and the desert and the familiar smell of himself, and let his thoughts linger on something more pleasant. Like how...beautiful Mikleo was when he slept. And once again, of the warmth that had emanated from the smaller boy's hands...and how nice it had been to have a moment alone together.

Why did that make his heart pound?

Even with those thoughts, Sorey quickly found himself drifting off into sleep, exhaustion finally taking its toll. He remained unaware of the struggles his companion, only three feet away, was having...for if he knew that Mikleo had been sad, he would've done something about it. But Sorey was a heavy sleeper, hard to disturb, and once he was on the sea of dreams, it was hard to bring him back to reality.


	5. Chapter 5: Aching Heart

Chapter 5

Aching Heart

“Mikleo.”

In the dead of night, a voice pulled him from his sleep. And even when he wasn’t awake, he’d recognize that voice anywhere. Having always been a far lighter sleeper than Sorey, Mikleo woke up when the shepherd called his name, even though he’d spoken it as a quiet whisper. Opening his violet eyes, he blinked, and was surprised to find Sorey’s face hovering just above his own. And the rest of him…Mikleo was shocked to find Sorey literally on top of him in his bed. Immediately, heat rushed to Mikleo’s face.

“S-Sorey! Wh-what’re you doing?” He hiss whispered, panic striking him as he thought of the others possibly seeing. But as he turned his head frantically to the side to gaze at the other three beds, he found them oddly empty.

“Don’t worry, they’re not here,” Sorey said. “I told everyone the truth. I told them that we needed some time alone together. I asked them to spend a few hours away from the inn.”

“You _what_?!” Mikleo cried horrified. He went to sit up, but Sorey’s face was so close to his own that if he had sat up all the way they would have bumped heads. Instead, he ended up propping himself up on his elbows in order to glare at him all the better.

“Are you _crazy_!?” he cried. “Why would you do such a thing?!”

“Why?” And Sorey looked truly puzzled at the question. And he wore his usual, confused, puppy-dog face as he cocked his head to the side. It was one of his more adorable expressions that Mikleo loved. “Because I love you, that’s why.”

“I…huh?” 

Mikleo’s heart suddenly started to pound. And it started up so fast from where it had lazily been in slumber only a moment ago that it felt like a drum, beating him from the inside out. He stared up at the person he’d loved for as long as he could remember being alive, but he didn’t reply. He was struck speechless, for he’d yearned, _craved_ to hear those words from him for several years now. 

Sorey smiled sheepishly, yet another expression Mikleo found so endearing.

“When we talked earlier before, in the tent when we were alone; I finally understood what you were trying to say. And I’m so sorry it took me this long to realize what you were asking. You know how slow I can be sometimes, I’m sorry.” 

Mikleo couldn’t blink. Hell, he could barely breathe. His violet eyes as large as the moon, he stared at Sorey through the darkness. Was this really happening?

“Mikleo,” Sorey started again. “I sent the others away so we can finally be together. That’s what you were trying to say before, right? You don’t want to wait any longer?”

He swore his heart was beating so powerfully it was making it difficult to breathe. Sorey’s eyes were such a brilliant green, and the way he was looking at him, with so much affection and just a hint of hope and loneliness.

“I’m sorry I waited so long,” he said again. “You’re hearts been aching…hasn’t it? You just...hide it so well.”

“Yes,” the answer came from him suddenly and breathlessly. He hadn’t even meant to part his pale lips to speak. The confession had simply forced itself out. “I’ve wanted to be closer to you. I’ve wanted…more than what we have. But I don’t know how to do that, and I had no idea how to ask. There’s always something in the way…being in Elysia, or knowing we’re in Gramp’s domain…or joining up with the others on our journey, and sometimes…it’s just because I’m scared. But you’re right Sorey…”

And then his expression changed, and for once, he didn’t want to hide anything. A type of heart wrenching pain that Sorey, and even Mikleo himself, didn’t know he had, appeared on his smooth face.

“My heart _has_ been aching,” he divulged. “But I hide it so well, even from myself, that I’ve never admitted to it. I didn’t even really know until now. I’ve been carrying it by myself for years, and it’s only gotten more and more powerful. It’s started to hurt…”

And when Mikleo said that, Sorey’s expression changed to deep sympathy. Immediately, he leaned in closer. Still just above the seraph, he reached out a hand. Then, gently, he started to run his fingers through his snow white hair.

“I could never let you be in pain,” he said. “And now that I’ve finally figured it out, now that I understand, I can take care of this. I can take that ache away.”

He leaned in even closer still, resting his body on top of Mikleo’s. And when he did, Mikleo could feel his heat, and he could inhale his very unique human scent. He could feel his muscles beneath his shirt, and he felt his heart beating in his chest.

“Mikleo,” he said, his voice taking on a husky type of quality he’d never heard in him before. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

“Sorey…” Sorey didn’t waste another breath. Closing the distance between them, he gently and sweetly pressed his lips into Mikleo’s. The first kiss was tender and kind, much like Sorey himself. And there was so much magic in it and so much spark that Mikleo wondered if he ever knew artes to begin with at all. He loved Sorey so much in that moment that he thought his heart would burst from being so full.

He suddenly wanted more. More and more, as he had been wanting for some time. And Sorey, seeming to sense this, or maybe just because he knew him so well, decided to deliver. He kissed the seraph again, then again. And then, the fourth time, their kisses became hotter and heavier. Some sort of fire was building up within them, and it was a heat Mikleo didn’t want to fight. It told him, something amazing was about to happen. 

Lifting his arms upward, he wrapped them around Sorey’s neck and back. He wanted him close. He wanted him as close as he could possibly be. No, he wanted more than that: he wanted to be a part of Sorey, and to have Sorey be a part of him too. He never wanted to be separated from him. 

Sorey, seemingly feeling the same things, and burning with the same fire, reached out his hands too. Putting one hand to Mikleo’s slender waist, he gently started to lift up his shirt. He wanted to feel the snow-white, smooth skin he’d been looking at for so long. And his rough human hands against such perfect skin was exactly what Mikleo had wanted too. Each of Sorey’s fingertips might as well have had lightning in them for the excitement it caused him.

Beside himself with infatuation, Mikleo let out a rush of air from his mouth. Then, wanting so much to touch Sorey too, he moved his own hands up and to his dark chocolate locks. Sorey’s hair had always been soft and thick, and he wanted to dive into those locks now. 

Sorey moved his lips to Mikleo’s perfect neck, and he tenderly and lovingly started to kiss him there. As he did, Mikleo buried his nose in his human counterpart’s hair, inhaling deeply for that familiar scent. He wanted to breathe him in. Have Sorey be in his every pore. 

“I love you,” he finally repeated back to him. “I love you Sorey. I love you so much it hurts! Promise me; promise we’ll never let anything separate us. I’ve been so afraid of the malevolence…”

“I’ll never let anything separate us,” Sorey immediately complied. “Nothing can get between us. Nothing. Don’t be afraid. I’m the shepherd. I’ll take care of anything that threatens our dream of having humans and seraphim live together.”

Mikleo, his body on fire, clutched at Sorey all the tighter. He believed his words, or rather…he believed that Sorey thought them to be true. Sorey could never lie, not to anyone, and especially not to him. But Mikleo still had a fear in the back of his mind that reminded him of what happened in Glaivend Basin. All their power combined was as nothing against Heldalf. And his malevolence was so thick…that it’d completely cut them off from one another.

Mikleo had never been afraid of anything as much since. Nothing was more frightening than that idea: not dogs, not ghosts, nothing. 

And of course, it was at that exact moment when he was thinking of his fears that a suddenly dark and powerful force was felt. Sorey and Mikleo both let out cries as it washed over them and the entire town of Lowgrin. And the wave of it was so thick and damaging that it actually caused physical pain. They both cried out, and in only a second more, a domain of malevolence so solid that the air turned purple, enveloped them. 

Grimacing, it took Mikleo a second to open his eyes. But when he did, fear like he’d only ever felt once before, pierced him. For there was Sorey, still above him like before, but now his arms had gone straight through his chest. He was supporting himself with palms against the mattress, as if Mikleo’s body wasn’t even there.  
“Sorey!” Mikleo cried. But it was clear from Sorey’s wide-eyed, horrified expression that he no longer saw Mikleo. And he didn’t react when his name was called. Instead, he called out himself as he stared at a seemingly empty bed,

“Mikleo!”

Mikleo stared at the person he loved, his violet eyes huge. 

_No!_ He thought, his heart now pounding for an entirely different reason. _No no no no no!_

“Mikleo! Mikleo! You’re still there! Aren’t you? You’re still right here! I…I won’t leave you! Don’t worry! We’ll figure this out!”

Instinctively, Mikleo reached out his hands to try and grab onto Sorey. But of course, just like before, they slid right through him as if he weren’t even real. And the sudden loss of so much physical contact with Sorey was so devastating that he actually let out a tortured cry. 

“No!” He screamed. “I want to live with you! I want to live with you!”

Horrible laughter filled the room. It was dark, coming deep from within a barrel chest, and it was also full of cruel mirth.

“Humans and seraphim living together: that idea is not only preposterous, but it’s disgusting. And what’s far worse than that? Humans and Seraphim copulating! The two of you are the very reason this earth is bathed in sin and disease.”

Heldalf appeared in the doorway. He was as huge, as dark, and as terrifying as Mikleo remembered. And because he’d just been sharing such an intimate moment with Sorey, Mikleo suddenly felt extremely exposed. Although he wasn’t naked, he was in nothing but his undershirt and shorts. Crippled by the malevolence, and barely able to move, he couldn’t do more than grab at the sheets and pull them up over his bare legs. When Sorey saw the sheets move, and when he heard what Heldalf had said, he turned on him, anger in his normally kind green eyes. 

“You’re wrong!” he cried. “This is the most holy and beautiful thing the earth has ever seen!”

Despite their situation, Mikleo blushed. But even so, they were no match for Heldalf. And Heldalf suddenly seemed infuriated by Sorey’s words. His lion-like face flashed with danger, and his eyes sparked purple.

“I will show you the meaning of despair and loneliness shepherd! And I will teach you what it is to feel real pain!”

It all happened in only a second. Heldalf was at their bedside in a blink. He reached out a hand so large it might as well have been the size of the sun. Lashing out with that hand, he grabbed a hold of Sorey’s neck. 

“Sorey!” Mikleo reached out to try and grab onto Sorey, but as before, his hands flew through his love as he was yanked forcefully from him, his body seeming as if it were as light as foam. Heldalf leapt back a few feet away from Mikleo so he couldn’t reach him, then held Sorey up into the air by his neck as if he were a doll. Mikleo’s purple eyes, wide with horror, took in the sight of Sorey’s boots kicking at the air beneath him, searching for the floor, and his hands gripping the edge of Heldalf’s in an attempt to pry the fingers away from his tender throat. His childhood friend made terrible gagging sounds as he struggled to breathe, his face contorting with pain as their enemy squeezed.

Heldalf laughed cruelly as he increased his grip, causing Sorey’s beautiful green eyes to squeeze shut in agony. But what Mikleo couldn’t know was that his own face reflected far more agony than that of his loves. And he appeared so pale, his mouth so twisted and his eyes so pained that one would wonder if he wasn’t the one being attacked.

“STOP!” he screamed. Fighting against the malevolence that was keeping him pinned down to the bed like a weight, he struggled to rise. But just like in Glaivend Basin, it was as if all of his strength had been sapped from him. Moving was like fighting to stand with an anvil strapped to his back. “STOP!” he cried again, his voice cracking with desperation. “Let him go! Don’t hurt him! Please!”

Mikleo struggled to push himself up, but as soon as he pushed his hands against the mattress, he collapsed back down and into it. Heldalf laughed just as wickedly as before.

“You can’t see or hear him Shepherd, but your little seraphim lover is screaming and crying and begging me to let you go. Does that cause you the pain I’m trying to convey to you, or shall I do more?”

Without warning, Heldalf released Sorey and he went plummeting to the floor. His body hit the ground with a terrible thud. Mikleo cried out. For a second, it appeared as if Sorey was going to try and rise to fight, but the Malevolence was simply too thick. They were both just as helpless as they had been before in the battlefield. And so, before either could do anything, Heldalf pulled back a boot, and then slammed it forward, kicking Sorey while he was down.

A scream of the likes Mikleo never knew he could produce left his lungs. His hands flew to his pale face which was already so twisted in horror that his family back home wouldn’t have recognized him. 

“STOP! STOP IT!” And all he could think about in that moment was how Sorey was human, and how he bruised and bled and got injured more easily than seraphim. All he could think about was that time when they’d been children and Sorey had taken a bad tumble down the hill and twisted his ankle. It’d taken him weeks to heal back to full health again and walk without a limp. 

Of course, that had been before Mikleo had discovered his healing powers. And since that time, Mikleo had made damned sure that Sorey didn’t have to suffer for so long after injuries. But he still got hurt so easily. And he was careless sometimes. And he put himself in danger. Like with this whole shepherd thing. Of course he’d take on such a huge responsibility. Of course he’d take on such a dangerous role! He was Sorey. And he helped people. That’s what he was like. So of course, of course he would get hurt. But…this…

“STOP!” Mikleo screamed again as Heldalf kicked Sorey a second time. Like fire, tears raced from his eyes down his face, and he felt like he was going to go crazy. “I’ll do anything! Anything! Please! Please stop! Don’t hurt him! Don’t hurt him!!!”

But Heldalf kicked Sorey again and the joy on the monster’s face was so complete that it let Mikleo know he wasn’t going to stop. He was enjoying Sorey’s cries too much. And he was enjoying Mikleo’s cries too. And Mikleo knew in that moment that Heldalf would continue until Sorey was dead. He’d hurt him, beat him to death, and then he would take Sorey away from him: permanently. And since Sorey was human and mortal, he would never ever come back. It would be forever. His fear of being separated from him would be realized in its most ultimate form. And after that, he’d be alone for all time. He’d never see Sorey’s smiling face again. Never see those green eyes glinting in the sun. He’d never explore another ruin with him, never travel the world, never hold his hand or kiss him, or… 

“No,” Mikleo suddenly said, and he said it in a strange, calm way that didn’t fit the situation at all, especially since only a second ago he’d been screaming and crying. His face went slack and the complete whirlpool and craziness of his out of control emotions suddenly settled like an ocean becoming perfectly still before a storm. And then, he felt the changes start to occur within him. 

Something shifted, and a dark presence he’d been unaware of until that moment let a single black drop of hatred into a once crystal clear pool of purity. That one drop spread out across the surface of the ocean, causing waves to be born. And before Mikleo even fully understood what was happening, he felt the churning from within. Power started to fill him, but it was a power that didn’t feel like it was his own. And it was so overwhelmingly strong that he wasn’t even sure he could control it. All the same…he sensed it would allow him to save Sorey. And although he instinctively knew he would be sacrificing himself in order to do so, he hardly cared. He needed the power to break through the Malevolence, and this power building within him…with all its darkness and corruption…would allow him to blend in with his surroundings. And if he was the same as the Malevolence around him then he could get up, move through it, and go to Sorey’s side. 

That was all that mattered. The power to defeat Heldalf. He hardly cared where that power came from or what it would ultimately do to him. And so, Mikleo accepted it. And in only a few seconds, he decided to allow the malevolence to take him over. 

Heldalf watched the transformation, his eyes glowing with triumph. 

“Yes!” he cried, his voice roaring with sick satisfaction. “Yes seraphim! Let the blackness in! Let it take over your soul! Feel the truth of this world! See it for what it is! Agonize over the hatred, grief and pain!” He chuckled. “You hate me do you? Then come. Come and save your precious shepherd, if you can!”

Mikleo’s body was changing. Purple veins appeared, snaking and throbbing their way over his once beautiful pale skin. The pale blue in his hair faded, and a dark, ugly gray started to take its place. The soft, holy glow he’d always had as a seraphim vanished, and the same dark aura they’d always associated with malevolence before started to exude from his skin. His purple eyes were robbed of their light and instead started to glow the same color as Heldalf’s. His ears pinched together at their ends, creating points, and his skull erupted, painfully so with a set of horns. And now that the transformation had started, he couldn’t stop it, even though terror was now swirling around with the hatred he’d let in.

Heldalf had stopped abusing Sorey in order to watch the transformation. And as such, it gave Sorey a moment to watch too. Mikleo, no longer invisible to him for the loss of his holy light, was becoming corrupted right before his eyes. Curled on the floor on his side, his hands clutching at his gut where he’d been kicked, Sorey appeared devastated. And when Mikleo looked to him, he was shocked to find Sorey gaping at him, his green eyes huge with horror of the likes he’d never seen before on his handsome face. And it was clear from that one look alone, that Sorey had never been afraid of anything more than this in his entire existence. And Mikleo, seeing that he was afraid of him, felt what was left of his quickly disintegrating heart, twist in his chest.

“Mikleo…” he whispered weakly. “What have you done…”

Still in the process of transforming into a demon, Mikleo got up from out of the bed. He took a single step forward. Lifting a hand, he reached out toward Sorey, with twisted bones and claws that weren’t his. Then, opening his mouth he tried to speak to him. But all that came out, was a terrible, grotesque roar.

Mikleo woke up screaming. Or…he’d thought he’d been screaming. But after he sat up, thrashing in bed, fighting against his sheets, he found that no noise came from his throat as he opened and closed his mouth. He was as silent as a still pond. 

Lifting a hand, he immediately put it to his throat, feeling choked and as if he were drowning. But when he found his throat as normal as ever, he immediately and in a panic stricken way, ran his hands over his ears, through his hair, and then over his lips. But he found himself, thankfully, normal as always. He had no pointed ears, no horns, and no fangs. Lifting his arms, he looked to those next. But they were as smooth, perfect, and snow-white as always. There were no frightening dark purple veins. And his holy seraphim glimmer was still present. Looking to his hands, he found smooth, rounded fingertips, and the same small palms as before. There were no claws, no twisted bones. 

Still gasping for air, he took in a sigh, letting his hands fall down into his lap. For a few seconds there after he woke, he was afraid he’d been corrupted even while in his sleep. But it seemed he was still a seraphim, and being able to feel his usual holy power confirmed it. 

_Oh my God…_ came his thoughts. _I’ve never had such a terrifying dream before._ And now that he was fully awake and had a moment to think about it, a terrible shudder ran through his body. Even though they were in the desert and it was still hot at night, a chill ran through his body. Normally one who liked the cold, Mikleo found himself shivering. Lifting his hands, he wrapped his arms around himself. Then the leftover fears and emotions from his dream set in on him.

 _I…I let myself be corrupted,_ he thought in horror. _And Heldalf was…a…and he was hurting Sorey! And Sorey was…so sweet…and I…I wanted…wanted him to…_  
His thoughts swirled, and his heart was pounding again. He felt the fear and hatred to be sure…but he couldn’t forget the beginning of his dream either. The way Sorey had looked at him, and how wonderful it’d felt to hear him say those words to him. And when they’d started to come together physically…

Mikleo felt the same warmth and wonder as before. Still holding himself from the previous shudders, he now held himself a little more tightly from the memory of something so good. 

_I want that,_ he suddenly thought. _More than anything._ And the desire of it, and knowing that in this awoken world he didn’t have what he had in his dream, made him feel suddenly and horrifically hollow inside. Although he’d been fighting off a type of loneliness for some time now, it now hit him so hard and fast it nearly took the breath out of him. 

_Sorey…_ his insides groaned. And he couldn’t forget some of the things he’d just learned in his dream. 

_Your heart has been aching…hasn’t it?_ Came dream Sorey’s voice. And with Sorey having said it, he could no longer deny it. He’d been carefully hiding it away from everyone, including himself for so long that he almost had himself fooled. But now…with Sorey pointing it out so blatantly, there was no longer any way to deny it. His heart _was_ aching. Painfully so. And at the moment of this realization, it hurt so badly that it almost drove away all the fear and horror of the rest of his dream.  
His insides groaned yet again, and Mikleo knew at that moment that he had to get out of the inn. He needed to be alone, think things through, try to understand himself better or come up with some sort of plan. He knew he couldn’t go on like this. It would kill him. Or worse…he’d become corrupted by malevolence. And he could never _ever_ do that to Sorey. For if he ever did turn…it would be Sorey who would have to deal with him. 

And so, being very careful to be as quiet as possible, Mikleo got up and out of bed. Moving over to his clothes pile, he grabbed his white pants. Silently, he pulled them on. Although he knew none of the humans could see him, it still felt indecent to just walk outside without some clothes on. Zipping them up, he moved to his boots. He slipped those on as well. But he didn’t bother with his heavy blue cloak. It was a hot night and he already felt suffocated. He had on his black undershirt and that would be enough for a walk alone outside. 

Once dressed, he glimpsed the other three beds to his side, just to make sure no one else had woken up or witnessed any part of his nightmare. Thankfully, Edna, Zaveid, and Lailah all appeared as if they were still asleep. But he didn’t stare at them for long. Instead, he turned to look the other way and to the other bed beside him.

There laid Sorey. He was fast asleep. He was sprawled out on top of his mattress, his chest facing the tent’s ceiling but his head turned to the side. His mouth was wide open as he breathed deeply, and a little bit of drool was dribbling out the corner and onto his pillow. He looked so relaxed and so goofy and carefree in that moment, that even as upset as Mikleo was, he had to smile at least a little. 

“Doofus…” he whispered in the dark. He stared at him, fondly and affectionately for several long seconds, taking in the sight of his wonderful, innocent, naive face. And as he stared at him, he felt his heart starting to swell all over again as it had in his dream. His love for him was becoming so powerful that it was causing the very ache that they’d spoken about in his nightmare. And Mikleo was at a point where he was no longer able to stop it. 

And so, he stepped over to the side of the shepherd’s bed. Seeing him without a scratch on him, and seeing him happy and ok made him feel a lot better. And for just a moment, a moment where no one was watching; he wanted to allow himself to stare at the person he loved so deeply. He didn’t want to hide his feelings. He didn’t want to pretend that they were less than what they were. And so, he kept his amethyst eyes on him, even though the longer he stared the worse that ache in his chest became. He wanted to feel it. 

“You’re beautiful too you know,” he whispered to him. “And you’re right, I don’t want to wait any longer. I _can’t_ wait any longer.” His voice tightened. “But I’ve tried to tell you so many times, and I keep failing. So please…please…can’t you tell me first?”

He stared at his sweet, sleeping face, and as he did, he let a moment pass in silence almost as if he were expecting an answer. But of course, none came. He let out a heavy sigh, his lilac eyes shifting to the side.

“That’s too much to expect from you. You _are_ a doofus after all…” Mikleo looked back to his sleeping love. “I’ll…try again tomorrow. I’ll do my best by you. I’ll try as many times as it takes. OK?” He looked to Sorey’s sleeping form, but of course, he didn’t answer this time either.

Mikleo leaned in over him. Lifting a hand, it looked like he was about to brush his fingers through his hair, but he hesitated, and then stopped. Letting his arm fall back to his side, he then turned and walked away. Pain etched on his face, he moved down the long tent, past all of his sleeping companions, and to the tent door. Once there, he stepped out from its flap and into the sleeping Lowgrin night.


	6. Chapter 6: Lailah's Kindness

**Chapter 6**

Lailah’s Kindness

Despite all of her best efforts, Lailah had been incapable of ignoring Mikleo's emotions that evening. Being the Prime Lord, she had a connection with all of her seraphim companions. Naturally intuitive and sweet, Lailah liked to think of herself as a nurturing, supportive person. But even she knew when she should be still and wait, and let someone sort out their feelings for themselves.

She'd hoped that's what Mikleo would've done, over time. His feelings for the Shepherd were obvious to all but Zaveid.

But...it looked like he was having some trouble coming to terms with things. And she was wise enough to know that Mikleo was putting on an act, in an effort to keep up appearances and not let on to his true feelings for Sorey.

And it was causing him trouble.

She felt the distress coming off of his slender form the instant his dream had turned into a nightmare. And once the young one left his bed and silently crept over to Sorey, well...it was all she could do to feign ignorance, and pretend to be like an opossum.

Hearing the water seraph's sweet, kind words, mingled with sadness and longing, was almost too much for Lailah. And so she knew that she must go after Mikleo once he'd left the tent and help him sort out his feelings.

She gave him several moments’ head start, afraid that if she headed out immediately it would wake Edna and the others. Once enough time had passed, she slipped silently out from her bed, familiar with the ways of sneaking away herself, and headed out into the inky night of Lowgrin.

It didn't take her long to spot Mikleo, who hadn't traveled very far away from the tent.

Quietly, and calmly, she walked over towards where the troubled teen stood, and in her calmest voice, asked, 

"Having trouble sleeping?" It was polite and kind, the way Lailah always was...but her turquoise eyes held a weight of knowledge in them, and also concern.  
She cared about Mikleo. So if there was something she could do to help him in his plight, she would be there for him.

Mikleo had stopped at one of the disheveled brick walls Lowgrin sported. It came up to about his waist and so had been the perfect height for leaning against. He’d done so, placing both elbows on it and folding his arms. When Lailah had come after him, he’d been looking up at the starry sky, clearly lost in deep thought. But when she addressed him, he stood up straight and faced her.

“Yes,” he fully admitted. “You too?” 

"Mmnhmmn," she hummed in response, moving to stand by his side, folding her hands in front of her. She let her gaze drift upwards towards the many stars that brightened the inky darkness, admiring them for a moment. It was nice to be still and quiet, sometimes.

"I often find myself unable to sleep, with my mind drifting in and out, and all over the place," she confessed in her usual sing-song voice.

"And sometimes I have not-so-pleasant dreams," she admitted, looking away from the starry expanse and down towards the ground. "I usually slip out unnoticed, but...it looks like tonight I have some company," she said gently, hoping that Mikleo would continue to talk with her. She would never push him, not by any means...but she knew it was a delicate dance, this talk of serious things. And what could be more serious than sharing your heart's burdens with another person? Lailah would be patient with her sub lord, and let him open up as he felt was right.

His back now facing the wall, Mikleo casually leaned back against it as Lailah talked. Crossing his legs, he rested an elbow behind him on the brick. Carefully, and dutifully he listened, then; always one to nurture others before himself, he responded. 

“It must be hard, being the prime lord,” he said. “You have so much duty and responsibility on your shoulders. And Sorey and I have noticed how downcast you get every time we find an iris gem.”

Sighing, he turned and glanced at the tent, which was still in view. 

“You knew the last shepherd. And although I understand your oath prevents you from talking about it, I imagine this entire journey must bring up painful memories for you. I’ve seen a few times now, how you get up to take late night walks sometimes.”

He turned his amethyst eyes back to her, his kindness and genuine concern for her shining fourth as he offered a small smile.

“I’m a great listener, but I’m afraid my skills are useless to you, considering you’re forbidden from speaking about your true worries. I wish there was something more I could do for you.” 

Lailah was touched. Although she got along well with many other seraphim, very few paused to consider her situation and how she must feel.

Mikleo was right: she was forbidden from speaking about the past. As such, it was always difficult for her to think about how to respond when the subject came up.  
She supposed a sincere 'thank you' for his compassion would be a good place to start.

"You're a kind person, Mikleo, and I'm glad we're on this journey together," she stated truthfully. That, at least, she could talk about.

"It's true there is much I can't talk about. But...there is something more you could do, if you wanted to ease my burdens," she continued, looking at the water seraph curiously for a moment, before turning the other way, acting a little more silly, as was her way.

"You see, as the Prime Lord, I am...privy, sometimes, to the emotions of those that are in my presence," she stated, pausing for effect. "Especially those that are my Sub Lords," she said with a swish of her long hair. 

"I end up feeling much of what is burdening them. And I must admit, I...am troubled, by something that I sensed tonight. Mikleo, I..." and she clasped her hands together again, pausing, suddenly uncertain of herself.

But then Lailah twirled around again, and faced the young one earnestly, her turquoise eyes shining with emotion.

"I worry about you. And I know...you had a bad dream. And I know...you've been struggling with many things, especially surrounding Sorey," she said, as gently and as sincerely as she possibly could.

"You must understand, that I support you, both of you, completely. And I _do_ mean...in _that_ way, she stated, raising her eyebrows, even as she swished herself around for dramatic effect. "So please, let _me_ be the one to listen. I want to ease your burdens, too."

_Well. I just took a leap with that one. Hopefully...it won't turn out to be a total disaster._

As soon as Mikleo understood what Lailah was starting to say, a hot, pink color overcame his cheeks. Standing up straight from where he’d been leaning, no longer looking casual in any sense of the word, he lifted a hand to cover his mouth in his usual expression of total embarrassment. He may have been cool and suave when it came to dealing with other people’s problems, and he may have been well put together when facing any other type of dilemma, but when the focus shifted to him, it was clear he didn’t like the attention. And Lailah already knew how little he liked talking about himself. 

“I…uhh…of course,” he said, still struggling to maintain his composure. “I should have guessed that the prime lord would be well connected with her sub lords. It only makes sense that you would have…well…sensed certain things.” 

But after this initial opening, Mikleo seemed at a total loss in how he should continue. After all, he really wasn’t sure how much Lailah knew, or what exactly it was she’d felt in him. And he’d never spoken openly to anyone about his relationship with Sorey. The closest he’d ever come was Gramps. And even then, he’d been guarded. He only ever said what he absolutely had to in order for Gramp’s to understand certain needs that had arisen over the years. Such as his absolute _need_ to learn healing artes, and his _need_ to know everything there was about humans. 

Gramps had understood everything. Mikleo knew he did. But even so, neither of them had ever come right out and said it. 

_Perhaps that’s the problem,_ Mikleo thought. _I can’t confess to Sorey because I can’t even talk about it with Gramp’s or myself, or anyone else for that matter. I’ve never spoken about it out loud. Not once. What is it I’m afraid of? Or is it that I think I’m protecting something precious?_

Mikleo looked to Lailah, his face quite intense and serious. For a few seconds, it seemed like he was struggling fiercely to try and break his silence, and tell a close friend how he truly felt and open up with his issues. But several seconds ticked by, and he just couldn’t do it in such a frank manner. 

Knowing this was the source of his repeated failures, Mikleo still opted to take a more familiar, comfortable approach. Side stepping a direct confrontation, he addressed the issue by circling around from the side. It was the same way he approached battle. Turning his gaze away, he looked back up at the stars. And even in simply not facing Lailah, he found it easier to talk.

“The stars here are different than in Elysia,” he commented. “A lot of things are different…” Lowering his gaze, he then looked back to the tent, and more specifically to the end of it where Sorey slept in his bed, completely unaware of his longing.

“When we were little, Sorey and I used to sneak out of our rooms at night in order to lay on the grass to watch the stars.” And right away, Lailah would see and sense that feeling of nostalgia that overcame Mikleo as he tried to address the heart of his issues. “Sometimes we’d get away with it, other times Gramps would catch us. And when he did catch us, he’d give us a terrible scolding. But it never stopped us from trying, especially on nights when we knew there was to be a meteor shower.”  
His amethyst eyes softened at the memory.

“We kept up that tradition as we grew. And Gramps’ became stricter, and harsher as we got bigger. Then there was one night when I was thirteen when he must have caught wind of our plans early. That night, he locked us both in our separate rooms and we missed the meteor shower.”

He glanced briefly to Lailah, a quiet smile on his face, but it was hard for him to look directly at her while he shared such a personal story, and so he looked away again as he continued.

“I didn’t understand it at the time. Sorey and I both thought Gramps was being mean, which of course didn’t fit his personality at all. We were both so angry with him…but…” And then he glanced back to the tent. “I finally understand why he did that now. I think Gramp’s knew even before we did. And he wanted to make sure we didn’t make a mistake by rushing into things at such a young age.”

He gave a pause. But Lailah sensed he wasn’t quite done, so she didn’t interrupt.

“I’ve been very careful, not to rush it, even back then when I didn’t know what it was. I still innately knew it was something precious, something very special. And I knew…it was something I couldn’t afford to mess up. And so I thought: slow and careful, let’s take our time, enjoy things as they come. I didn’t want to blow anything up by putting labels on it, or by talking about it out loud. It just came so wonderfully natural to us that…there was no need for those things.”

But then, the joy he had on his face from such good memories started to fade, and the pain Lailah had seen on him earlier on in the tent returned. 

“But like I said, a lot of things are different now. And the place we’re at currently…the place we’re at… _needs_ labels and words. We’re not kids anymore. And if we’re going to move past being kids then…then we have to…” 

But Mikleo stopped talking then, carefully picking this moment to cut himself off. There was no good way to finish that sentence without traveling into much more personal territory. 

"Then you have to talk about it," Lailah finished for him. "First and foremost. You have to admit it, both to yourself and to Sorey how you feel," the seraph stated simply. "I'm so sorry that you've been struggling with this. It can be scary...admitting something out loud. And I'm touched that you chose to share that with me Mikleo." And she meant that. His story and his feelings were special treasures, treasures that were more valuable than any jewel or any iris gem that she could ever possibly find.

"But there's nothing wrong with being scared," and then Lailah smiled a little. "That's a perfectly normal reaction to a situation such as this." She unconsciously fiddled with the long sleeves that covered all of her hands. "And there's nothing to be ashamed about," Lailah added, just in case the other seraph was worried about that, too.

She then took a deep breath, and exhaled airily, her eyes drifting back upwards towards the stars. "The thing about you two is that you're so...natural together. Everything fits. The two of you move in fluid motion, like a well-oiled machine, or like a team of horses, or... or like two peas in a pod, or...the flip side of the same coin," she said, suddenly not sure of how to say what she so desperately wanted to say.

"What I mean is - " and she looked back down towards Mikleo. "The two of you do things without speaking. You don't _have_ to speak for things to be understood between the two of you. It's impressive, and most of the time I think it's a blessing for the two of you. It makes many things easier, doesn't it?" she asked, not really needing an answer.

"But the problem is, sometimes you _do_ need to talk about things. Even if the other horse is a little more dense than the other, it can still sense it when it's partner is upset and not sure where to go," she said, not quite understanding where she was pulling that analogy from, but hopefully Mikleo understood her Lailah-talk well enough by now that he could make sense of it.

Mikleo was listening rather seriously at first, but the longer Lailah talked and the more puns and analogies she used, the less serious the conversation seemed to become. Very quickly, a smile started to spread over Mikleo’s face. And then by the time she was talking about horses, especially a certain horse who was dense, Mikleo outright started to chuckle. He put a hand to his mouth in amusement.

“I think I understand what you’re trying to say Lailah, although it’s a little difficult through all of your analogies.”

He chuckled a little while longer, and he had to admit it felt good. It was a great relief from all the pent up stress he’d been holding onto lately. 

“You’re saying, I’m worrying the dense horse by keeping these things to myself.” He let out a sigh, lowering his hand from his previous amusement. This time, he turned and faced Lailah directly, lifting his gaze to her.

“I know that. I know I’ve been worrying him. He may be dense, but…he’s never been all that slow when it comes to me. He knows I’ve been upset about something. And he knows I’ve been trying to tell him something. And I know he wants to help me. But…he doesn’t really know what’s wrong, and so he’s been waiting. Waiting for me to come to him. 

Sorey’s so kind. And he’s patient. He’s never been the type to pry things out of me. He understands that sometimes I like to remain private. And he just…gets me. He knows I need time to sort things out myself before I can vocalize them to others. And that’s why…that’s why he’s been holding back. But I…I-!”

And quite suddenly, Mikleo’s face started to tense up, as it had during his nightmare. Quickly, he looked away from Lailah once more, too embarrassed to show such an expression to her. Instead, he once again looked to that place in the tent where his love was resting.

“I’ve tried so many times to tell him. But I can never be direct enough. I mean, not as direct as I need to be for him. And things keep getting in the way! Ever since Glaivend Basin I’ve been trying to tell him. But there’s always a hellion that springs up, or we’re entering a town full of people, or we sense a spot of malevolence, or Zaveid says something stupid. We’re never alone. And when we are…there just isn’t enough time. And when there is enough time, and I truly get the moment I need…I can’t follow through. My personality just isn’t like that. Sorey’s always been the more open and direct of the two of us. And I just keep wishing he would confess first and save me from this torment.”

He sighed heavily, the true weight of the situation becoming clearer the more open and comfortable he became in talking with Lailah. Lifting his lilac eyes, he glanced her way.

“I know he loves me. And he knows I love him. That’s never been a question, never been a concern. So then…why is this so hard? It doesn’t make any logical sense…”

Lailah couldn't help but wistfully think that the two of them were absolutely adorable. If it were a different situation, she'd allow herself to coo over how precious they were. But this certainly wasn't the time for that. Not with Mikleo feeling so open and so raw.

"Aaah, but feelings of love and adoration are rarely logical," she imparted. "In fact, they're some of the most honest, but intangible, feelings there are."

She tilted her head a little, giving her enough time to take in Mikleo's appearance right then, and right there. This was a cherished moment, one she would no doubt remember long after her journeys with Sorey and Mikleo ended. It wasn't every day - or every human lifetime - that she had the opportunity to speak as openly and honestly with someone else, especially over something as precious as their feelings. As such, she wanted to savor this moment.

"Hmmmn...." she paused, raising a hand to her mouth as she thought. "If you would like, I can help arrange more time for the two of you to be alone," she offered. "Then, at least, you'll be able to have the opportunity to talk. Or just be with each other," she offered. "Even if the two of you were already together, in that sense, you would need alone time. Relationships need time and space to blossom, but if there are too many flowers in the garden...the main attraction can't thrive," she said, pulling another weird analogy from nowhere.

"Would you like that?" she offered, waiting for his reply. If he wanted it, she was sure she could wrangle Edna and Zaveid off for one reason or another.

Mikleo’s expression immediately changed to one of both gratitude and relief. 

“Yes, please,” he said immediately. “I almost…I was so close in the tent this afternoon. When I woke up, he was there, watching over me, and we were alone for once. And it was…it was almost perfect until Zaveid came in. If we had more opportunities like that, I’m sure I could do it. If not the first time, than surely the second or third. I know I can eventually. It’s too important not to. And…I don’t want Sorey to worry over me. So I have to tell him soon.”

Lailah nodded simply, her long hair swishing again as she moved. "Yes, you must tell him soon. That would be the best thing, for both you and him." And she clapped her hands together in front of her, looking energized.

"Then, finding alone time for the two of you is exactly what we’ll do," she said, before smiling gently at the much younger seraphim.

Lailah hadn't felt the stirrings of love since she was very young. It was so long ago, in fact, that it felt like a dream for her. If she could help this youth with his quest for love, then she would give it her all.

"You will be able to say what's in your heart, when the time is right," the fire seraph comforted. "And I do apologize about this morning. I...sensed that the two of you needed that time alone in the tent, but Zaveid..." and she sighed dramatically. "He _insisted_ on coming inside to check on you."

She then looked back up to the stars, pondering over how she could get the lusty wind seraph to go along with her. "I suppose I will just have to...find ways to get him to come with me," and there was a mischievous look in her eyes then. "That shouldn't be too hard," and now she was grinning.

Mikleo actually recoiled at the idea, a look of discomfort on his face.

“Don’t do anything you’d regret,” he warned. But then a smile quickly came back to his face. “And, thank you Lailah,” he said sincerely. “I’ve never been able to talk to anyone about this before. But…you’ve already shown how well you can keep secrets, and you’ve already been such a good friend. Even when we first met, you knew then about Sorey and me. And you supported us without so much of a word about it. I don’t think I ever thanked you properly for talking to Sorey about me becoming your sub lord after that terrible fight we had.”

She felt warmth emanating from within her chest. She recognized it as happiness from receiving a sincere compliment from a friend. It had been a long time since she'd had friends. Lailah had been alone for many decades until she'd started this journey with Sorey and Mikleo back in Ladylake. It felt good to have companionship again, and the feelings were only exacerbated by knowing she was appreciated and liked, despite her quirks and oddities.

"I remember that," she said, thinking back to when they'd all first met. "It was a fight. But I wasn't worried about the two of you. Not really. Even back then, I knew that the two of you were so close, you'd be able to get through it and come out stronger than ever. I also knew Sorey just needed some gentle guidance to realize he was being...well, dense," she said with a chuckle.

"Anyway. You don't worry about me," she said. "I know how to keep Zaveid in line. A lady always knows," Lailah said with another mischievous smile. "And I will most certainly keep your secret...although Edna already knows too, you know," she stated. "I think Mr. Wind Seraph is the only one out of the loop."

Mikleo chuckled.

“That’s because all he can think about are women,” he said plainly. “And I don’t mind Edna knowing, or even Zaveid for that matter, if he can ever figure it out. I just…don’t want to tell anyone before I talk to Sorey first. Although I suppose I already broke that rule by talking to you.” But he didn’t seem upset by it. It was very clear that he’d _needed_ a friendly ear. And he was suddenly extremely grateful that Lailah had figured him out. 

“I feel...surprisingly a lot better. Thank you Lailah.”

She grinned. "You're welcome! I'm glad I could help," and she truly was. "After all, it's what friends are for!"

Mikleo’s smile remained on his face. And although he still hadn’t yet addressed his other issues, such as his new fear of malevolence, being separated from Sorey, or turning into a hellion, at the very least, the issue that was most important to him felt more resolved. And with the sense of relief he felt, he became aware of how tired he actually was. He hadn’t been sleeping well for some time after all, and even seraphim needed their rest. 

“Well, I think I’ll go try and get some sleep,” he said. “You should too. We have a big day of ruin exploring ahead of us tomorrow.”

The two said their goodnights and Mikleo headed back into the tent. Walking down past all the beds, he moved to the last one to check on Sorey. And of course, he found him unmoved from the position he left him in last, only now his drool spot on his pillow was bigger. Mikleo chuckled. And this time, when he reached out his hand, he didn’t hesitate. Affectionately, he pushed a few of his stray hairs away from his forehead. 

“Doofus…” he said, his voice filled with love. Then, after he was sure he was alright, he turned back to his own bed. Removing his pants, he climbed back into bed. And this time, he laid on his side so that he could face Sorey and watch him while he slept. Feeling incredibly comforted for the first time since his scare at the battle field, he drifted off into a much more restful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Flirtatious Morning

** Chapter 7 **

Flirtatious Morning

Several hours later, when it was still a little dark outside, it was Sorey who was the first to wake. This in itself was unusual, and he found himself sitting up and rubbing his leaf-green eyes, surveying the room in hopes of finding another morning companion who might start to stir, unconsciously reacting to Sorey's motions. But...no one else stirred. It seemed like everyone was sound asleep.

That was fine. That gave him plenty of opportunity to get dressed, and maybe even to find a place to bathe.

He looked over towards Mikleo on the bed nearby, and found himself thinking back on how unhappy he'd been to not share a bed with the other youth. Maybe they wouldn't be in Lowgrin again that evening. They'd just...have to see.

With a sigh, Sorey wordlessly put on his clothes from the day before, shrugging on his blue shirt and then the shepherd's cloak with care. Gramps had taught him to take care of his belongings, and while he wasn't as nitpicky as Mikleo, Sorey still wanted to look presentable and responsible to the public, since the people looked to the Shepherd in difficult times.

Once dressed, he quietly left the tent, wondering if the nice Inn Keeper would be up at this hour in the morning. Sure enough, there she was, waiting for any potential clients, as dutiful as ever.

Sorey greeted her with a smile, and quickly but politely inquired as to where he could bathe, if there was such a place nearby. Turns out she and her husband had another private tent close by, near the one that housed the dining tables, that had a washbin and a basin that he'd be able to use. And she insisted that it would be alright if he used it.

Eager to get at least some of the grime off of himself, Sorey thanked the lady profusely, and followed her towards the tent and towards the back wall of the city, where the tent was located.

There wasn't much to look at inside the enclosure. It was simply furnished, but cozy, much like the dining and sleeping tents. The only thing Sorey really cared about was whether or not it had water, soap, and a washcloth for him to use, and it certainly did. And with that, he stripped down to the buff, placing his clothes on a stool and a table across the tent so they wouldn't get wet, and proceeded to carefully wash away the previous day's sweat and grime that had gathered on him from the desert the day before.

It felt good to get clean. And judging from the way he smelled...well, he was pretty sure his companions, who were perpetually always clean and smelling perfect, would appreciate their human companion not reeking of sweat on their upcoming journey later in the day.

He was careful and deliberate with his movements, not wanting to waste their water, for he knew it was a precious commodity. Maybe...maybe he could ask Mikleo to help them with that. 

Sorey's mind then, of course, drifted towards the aquamarine-haired beauty himself. Wouldn't it have just been easier if Mikleo...

But that thought made the shepherd blush. What would he do, exactly? Just...hold out a hand and drench him in water? He'd have to see where he was dousing, and that would mean that he'd see...

Sorey found himself swallowing hard, as he tried to squash away that mental image - and others that threatened to arise from the back of his mind. Bathing with Mikleo...

Well. That would be inappropriate, wouldn't it? They...weren't even supposed to share a bed with each other.

The brunet groaned, running his hands through his wet, soapy hair, wondering if he was going crazy. He let himself mull over that idea as he scrubbed his scalp until it was clean, then rinsed it thoroughly.

He loved Mikleo. But how were they supposed to be more than what they were? How did you do that, exactly? Sorey wasn't sure.

After his quick shower, Sorey dressed, feeling infinitely better, and walked out of the washing tent and back towards the sleeping tent, thanking the Inn Keeper once again for her hospitality. His hair was still damp, but it'd dry off soon anyway, especially with the heat that would no doubt be bearing down upon him and the rest of the team once they headed out for the ruins.

Not knowing if anyone else was awake or not, Sorey ducked himself back inside the sleeping tent, to check and see if anyone else was up and ready for breakfast. He was eager and ready to get going that morning. He wanted to see the ruins with Mikleo.

When Sorey re-entered the tent, he’d find everyone awake and dressed. Well…everyone except the person he’d wanted to see awake and dressed that is. Zaveid was standing with hands on his hips, leaning over both Lailah and Edna as they sat on the edge of the last bed in the row. Edna was swinging her legs back and forth, twirling her umbrella as Lailah was finishing putting up her hair in a red clip. All three were talking when Sorey came in.

“He just had a rough night again,” Lailah was saying to the other seraphs. “So let’s continue to keep quiet a little while longer and let him sleep.”

“That’s not my fault,” Edna said, as sour as ever. “I don’t want to just wait around wasting time every morning just because Meebo can’t get his shit together lately. Besides, we’re seraphim, what could he possibly have nightmares about?”

“Oh, I don’t think he had nightmares last night,” Zaveid suddenly piped in, a long, sleek, sly smile crawling its way onto his face. “I think his dreams were much more pleasurable than that!”

“Oh-my-God. You are _such_ a perv,” Edna snipped.

“No, it’s true! I woke up briefly because he was making all these moaning groaning noises. You know… _those_ kinds of noises.”

“As if. It was probably _you_ making those noises. Besides, if Meebo was going to dream about anybody, he’d dream about S-!”

“Sorey!!!” Lailah practically shrieked, finally having been the one to notice him enter the tent, purposefully interrupting the conversation. “Welcome back! Where did you go? Out for a morning walk? Oh! You appear fresh and clean! You went out for a bath then? I’m so glad you found a place to do that! I mean we’re in the desert and there isn’t even a proper inn here, so I wondered how you would take care of yourself! But it appears you have! I’m so glad! If you couldn’t find a place to wash, I wasn’t sure what we would do for you! Although I heard there’s an oasis somewhere in the desert. Maybe we could have gone there! In any case, you must be hungry by now, yes? Shall we all head out to the dining tent?”

Sorey just stared, standing still in the threshold of the tent, his green eyes wide. So much had just happened, and he wasn't exactly sure he'd heard everything correctly.

"Wait...Mikleo’s having nightmares?" And his green eyes shot over towards the sleeping seraph, right where he'd left him no more than forty five minutes ago.  
"And...what? What kind of dreams are you talking about Zaveid?" And Sorey wasn't exactly sure he understood what the half-naked seraph had been trying to say. But now Lailah had moved herself across the room and was ushering him out the doorway.

"Mikleo will be just fine Sorey. I know that for a fact. He’s just still tired from yesterday, that's all. Now let's get breakfast, yay!" And she excitedly threw her hands up in front of her mouth, covering it, like the way she was prone to do when acting silly.

It was fortunate for everyone involved that Sorey believed her. Mikleo had indeed been very tired because of the desert. He'd collapsed. And Zaveid...Well, Sorey didn't listen to half of what he said anyway. No doubt whatever he'd been hinting at had been vulgar. Most of what the wind seraph said was like that.

And Edna...well, she could be negative. And anyway, she was following Lailah out of the tent too, as was Zaveid. They clearly wanted food, too.

"Well...okay," Sorey said, eager to let his tired companion rest as much as possible. "Besides, now I can see what's on the menu and maybe get something ready for him when he gets up."

Still...Sorey's mind was whirling as they made their way towards the dining tent.

Sorey and his three seraph companions all sat down at the same table they had the day before. And the inn keeper was more than happy to serve them again. Sorey, true to his word, ordered something he knew Mikleo would like. Then he sat, and had nothing to do but think about everything he’d overheard the others talking about. At least that was until Mikleo finally came to join them.

He was later than he had been the day before. Everyone’s food had arrived and this time they were almost completely done eating when the water seraph finally showed up. But when he did, he was as pristine, crisp, and cool looking as ever. Every white hair on his head was in place, and the blue tips of his curl on his bangs looked perfectly sculpted. But Sorey would know of course, that this was one hundred percent natural, and Mikleo probably only brushed his hair normally to get it that way. His clothes appeared brand new, and there was even a shine to his black boots. And as always, his violet eyes seemed knowing, and there was already a smirk on his lips as if he’d known Sorey was up to no good before he even arrived. 

Mikleo appeared so normal, and so well put together, that it was hard to imagine he’d been having nightmares for however long the other’s had said. And it was even harder to imagine him in the grips of a passionate fantasy as Zaveid had suggested. He looked like…well…Mikleo.

“You forgot something,” Mikleo greeted his love interest. And then, before Sorey could even ask, he tossed a pair of orange feather earrings his way. “You’d be in a panic if you forgot them.”

Walking up behind his seat, he reached out, putting a hand on Sorey’s shoulder in greeting. He gave him a squeeze, then turned to his empty seat beside him and took it up. He would never let on, and Sorey would never know, but when Mikleo had woken up that morning, he’d woken in a panic because Sorey and the others were gone. He of course had quickly put the pieces together that they must be in the dining tent. But all the same, with all of his nightmares about the malevolence making him disappear, this was now the second morning in a row where he’d woken up afraid because everyone else was gone. But he’d never let such a fear show on his face. At least not until he was ready.

“What did you order me?”

Sorey deftly caught his favorite pair of earrings, eyes huge with surprise. _Oh my god...I actually did forget them._ And Mikleo had been right: If they'd left those behind in the Inn and gone traipsing off into the desert, Sorey would've freaked out once he realized he didn't have them on his ears. His companion had once again saved him from something troublesome.

He immediately began putting them on, forcing them to attach and close around his ears, even as he took in the water seraph's impeccable appearance. The hand on his shoulder felt good, and warm, and nice, but it was gone quickly.

That was okay. Mikleo was up now, and so they could talk and prepare for their exciting day that was ahead of them.

"I got you a fruit parfait and some sort of flat roll with a creamy cheese that you can spread on it, and some juice," he said, knowing the seraph liked to keep things light in the morning. He might only eat the parfait, but Sorey had never heard of this cheese type food item before, and so of course, that meant Mikleo hadn't, either. Sorey figured the other youth might like trying something new. He had the night before, anyway.

Lailah looked up from her own cup of juice, and gave him a smile. "Good to see you're awake, Mikleo," she said in her sing-song voice. "Sorey was insistent on ordering you food. You can take all the time you need," she reassured, already hatching up a plan to perhaps...give the seraph and his love interest some alone time that morning, if she could get the others to cooperate, anyway.

“Ugh!” Edna groaned. “All the time you need? This is getting bothersome. We wait for you to wake up, then we wait for you to get dressed, then we wait for you to eat. Meebo, you’ve got to start getting with the program, you’re inconveniencing everyone! And we shouldn’t need to baby you!”

“Hey, take it easy!” And this actually came from Zaveid, who, despite his sleazy comments sometimes, had made it clear in the past that he was a good friend too. “Didn’t you hear what Lailah said this morning? He’s had a rough couple of nights. If you couldn’t sleep you’d want us to wait for _you_.”

Mikleo tensed at the mention of his rough nights. So the others had noticed. Which of course meant that Sorey had noticed too. Or at the very least, he knew _now._ Mikleo glanced to the green eyed brunette at his side. And when he did, he saw the look he dreaded: Sorey was worried. And although his concerned face was certainly cute, Mikleo never liked to see him worried. 

“I’m fine,” he quickly reassured. “No one needs to worry over me or _baby_ me,” he said, shooting a nasty look Edna’s way. “I’ll eat quickly, and then we can go.” Looking to the food before him, he couldn’t help but to feel that usual warmth in his chest when it came to anything Sorey. He’d ordered him exactly what he would have wanted, and had even found an adventurous and exciting new food to try.

“Thank you Sorey, for ordering for me. You always know what I like.”

Edna rolled her eyes, Lailah clasped her hands joyfully in front of her chest, and Zaveid looked on as clueless as ever.

And there it was again. The mention of him having difficulty sleeping. Sorey immediately tensed, his face scrunching up with worry.

Mikleo, of course, insisted that everything was fine...but that's what he'd said yesterday too, before he'd collapsed.

This made Sorey feel conflicting things. What should he do? His companion didn't like making him worry, but all the same...he was.

 _I have to believe in him, but also be prepared,_ Sorey decided. And so he made the decision to actively be supportive. Even if he'd wished Mikleo would talk to him about whatever it was that was bothering him. The shepherd didn't like the feeling of being out of the loop with what was happening to his most cherished person.  
"You're welcome," he said simply, picking at the last of his omelet. He forgot what kind of egg it had been made from...some sort of lizard, he thought, but it had been good. Any sort of worry that he felt was temporarily placed to the back of his mind while he got excited about the ruins.

"I can't _wait_ to check out the ruins," he said, his elbows on the table. "And I know you guys are excited too," he said, even though he really didn't think the others were excited about it. But Sorey didn't understand how they couldn't find history fascinating! And he was eager to share in his enthusiasm. Maybe he could get everyone pumped for the day if he acted excited enough. 

Mikleo smiled after taking in a spoonful of his parfait. 

“Yes!” he agreed, his eyes starting to sparkle just as much as Sorey’s at the mention of ruins. “And the Gangaren Ruins are mentioned in the Celestial Record. There ought to be all sorts of artifacts there for us to find. And since it predates The Age of Chaos, there might be some interesting reliefs or carvings for us to decipher. Maybe we can even find something relating to the shepherd.”

Sorey grinned like a kid, although some might argue that, being only seventeen, he was still very much a kid.

But his excitement reminded him of his younger days, the ones where he and Mikleo stayed up late, reading all the stories about the Shepherd and his crew.  
"That would be great!" he exclaimed, beaming ear to ear.

"I mean, just think about all of the cool stuff we could find there. After all, we found this glove in the Mt. Mabinogio ruins back home." And he proudly held up his left hand, for all to see....

As if they hadn't seen it dozens of times before. Sorey was prone to showing it off as often as possible.

But a sly smile grew over Mikleo’s face as Sorey held up his glove for all to see.

“I suppose that means you’ve forgotten how we obtained that glove then,” he said, a hint of teasing in his voice. And then, without any warning, he reached out, quick as lightning and grabbed a hold of Sorey’s wrist.

“Hey!”

But Mikleo wasn’t done. Grabbing a hold of the piece of cloth, he slipped it easily off of Sorey’s hand. Then, leaning back in his seat, in a way that only his seraphim grace would allow him to, he held the glove up and away from his partner in ruin exploring, playing quite the game of keep away just as he’d done when they first obtained the item long ago.

“Sorey was SO distracted by this silly glove that I had to keep a hold on it until we could figure our way out of the ruins we’d become lost in,” he announced to the others. “And then after all his complaining, after we’d gotten back out again, he forgot all about it until I offered to give it back.”

Sorey blushed, embarrassed, and immediately started to protest, even as he struggled to reach for his glove.

"N-no! That's not how it happened!" But all Mikleo had to do was raise an eyebrow and Sorey sighed heavily, flailing while still trying to get his favorite new clothing item back.

"O-okay, so maybe I got a little distracted, but-!" And he lunged for it again. "You can't blame me! It's a real artifact." And that clearly should've made perfect sense to everyone else watching.

Lailah giggled. The two of them were just so precious.

"Well it's a good thing Mikleo held onto it then, or else you never would've made it out," she went along, happy to join in on the teasing.

"Yeah, but...that doesn't mean he has to play keep-away!" Sorey said, still incapable of retrieving his glove from the ever-graceful and swift water seraph.

Mikleo’s grin only grew bigger as Sorey reached for the glove several times. They were both still seated, which let him know how much Sorey was really enjoying the game or he would have at least stood up to put in a more honest effort. 

For just a second, Mikleo fantasized about jumping up and out of his chair to go running for the door, laughing all the way. Sorey would surely give chase, and at the moment, he wasn’t sure if anything could possibly be as much fun as being chased around Lowgrin by Sorey. But…this wasn’t Elysia, and he knew there were a ton of other humans around. It would be weird for the shepherd to go off running through the streets chasing after a floating glove. It wouldn’t be quite the flirtatious game it used to be back in their home in the clouds. And so, as much as Mikleo wanted too, he knew he had to think of Sorey’s reputation with the other humans. He didn’t want to make anyone think of him as silly. Well, except for their traveling companions maybe.

And so, after allowing himself the thrill of just a few more seconds of jerking the glove away, he decided he’d better end it. The next time Sorey lunged forward, reaching out for the garment, Mikleo, instead of pulling back, came unexpectedly forward. Then, he expertly plopped the glove down on top of Sorey’s fluffy brunette locks.

“There. That’s for pretending you could order me around with a silly glove. Even if it was only for a second.”

Edna let out a ‘phht’ clearly finding the entire thing amusing, which was a nice change of pace from her usual insults.

Sorey's mind wasn't even on what other people would think of their exchange. All he knew was that Mikleo good-naturedly gave up. And he really liked the feeling of the other boy's hand brushing against his hair when he plopped the glove unceremoniously down on top of his head.

He left it there for a brief second, grinning widely, before snatching it up and slipping it onto his left hand again.

"I only did it because I knew you would disagree. There's no way you would ever let me order you around," Sorey said, chuckling as he stood up and stretched, feeling energized from their flirtatious exchange.

Not that he was aware that they'd been flirting. He was just having fun with Mikleo. Fun that made him feel exhilarated and giddy inside.

Even as the flirtatious game was given up a little earlier than either boy would have liked due to circumstances, they still kept their sights on one another fondly. And it was hard not to notice, even for a certain clueless wind seraph. Leaning forward on the table and blinking at the pair, Zaveid put a hand to his chin as a thoughtful look overcame his face. 

“They sure do play together a lot, those two,” he said to Lailah, who was still seated beside him.

“Yes, they do,” she said simply.

“And it seems like they only ever get that playful with each other. I mean, if I ever tried to be like that around either of them, I feel like Mikleo’d punch me in the face.”

Lailah giggled. 

“He probably would.”

“Hmm…” And poor Zaveid looked like he was concentrating awfully hard. His face scrunched up, he wrinkled his eyebrows at the pair. But he wasn’t given quite enough time to piece it together, for now everyone was getting up and out of their seats. 

“Are we ready to go then?” Mikleo asked the group. But of course, Sorey was already fussing over Mikleo’s unfinished food that they’d just ordered.

“It’s ok; I’ll bring the fruit parfait with me and eat it while we walk. And you can have the pastry thing. I know you wanted it more than me anyway. If not, we should save it for later. You’ll get hungry half way through the ruins. You always do.”

Sorey grinned. "Yeah. I do," he said, not bothering to pretend he wasn't going to be hungry in about two hours, just like Mikleo said.

He completely and totally did not see, or hear, Zaveid's comments. He was completely lost in his own little world. Maybe if he had heard, he would've realized that the wind seraph was figuring him - or rather, him and Mikleo - out. Of course, that's much how Lailah and Edna figured it out too. They obviously hadn't said anything to either of the girls, but each had sorted it all out for themselves.

"Alright!" Sorey exclaimed, stretching his hands up in the air. "We've got all the supplies we need. And we've got the map, so...we're ready to go. Let's head out!"  
And with that, the team set out of Lowgrin and headed back into the desert.


	8. Chapter 8: The Wind Knows

** Chapter 8 **

The Wind Knows

It only took a few hundred yards into the sands to realize it was already getting hot, despite the fact that it was still morning. That was the thing about deserts, Sorey supposed. The sands reflected the temperatures incredibly easily. During the night, some deserts could get freezing cold, even if during the day they were blistering hot. He'd be alright, though. He'd had a full night's sleep. Now, his main concern was making sure Mikleo made it safely to the ruins. Fortunately, their destination wasn't too far off.

And Mikleo had learned his lesson well the day before. Despite his usual ‘buttoned-up’ attitude, as he was accused of having, he knew he couldn’t have another spell. He didn’t want to burden or worry Sorey. And so, personal comfort set aside, he knew he needed to adapt to his environment or risk making the same mistake again. And so, perhaps to everyone in the party’s surprise, as soon as he started to feel hot, he reached up and completely unzipped his cloak, revealing his black undershirt beneath. He left the cloak on however, wanting to protect his white skin from the damaging sun. But with the front wide open, he was already far cooler.

“Whoa!” Zaveid cried. “Mikleo’s letting his hair down for once! Loosening the noose Mikky boy?”

“Shut up,” he said nonchalantly. “I’m just doing what I have to in this environment. _You_ should do the same. With no shirt on, you’re going to get sun burned, even if you _do_ have dark skin.”

Sorey was extremely happy that Mikleo had unzipped his shirt. This way, he was less likely to overheat.

...That and he liked looking at his collarbone for some reason. But besides that, it also meant that Mikleo was purposefully doing something to ensure that what happened the day before didn't happen again. Was it...vain that Sorey hoped part of the reason for the seraph's actions were also to ensure he didn't worry Sorey?  
"I actually think Edna has the right idea," Sorey said. "Her umbrella is both a weapon, and a useful tool to keep the sun off of her fair skin," Sorey piped, still getting accustomed to the way his feet sometimes sank in the sand as they trudged forward underneath the ever-rising sun. "It's a wise choice," the shepherd praised.

Edna walked with just a tad more spring in her step after the compliments, and she held her chin just a little higher.

“Yes, it _is_ a wise choice,” she repeated. “Maybe we should get lady Meebo an umbrella for his fair skin too. Maybe a blue one with lace.”

“Ugh…” Mikleo grumbled. “This is gunna be one of those trips where everyone has to take a shot at me, isn’t it?”

“Nonsense. We’re all just worried about your delicate complexion,” Edna teased.

“Yup. One of those trips,” Mikleo grumbled again. 

But despite his worries, Edna didn’t say anything more and everyone fell into a peaceful quiet. And luckily, as the map had shown, the ruins weren’t all that far away. It had only taken them a couple of hours to arrive. And luckily for everyone, they’d only run into a few, smaller hellions that had been easy to purify. And so, shadows falling over the party, they all walked up to one of the huge, red, rock walls. In the side of the cliff face, was a cave opening, and it was clear by the remnants of what used to be pillars, that it was indeed a ruin.

Immediately, both Sorey and Mikleo’s faces lit up as excitement overtook them. Mikleo was the first to run toward one of the more visible pillars that jutted out of the rock wall.

“Look at this Sorey!” he cried, his violet eyes aglow. “The carvings and intricate patterns at the top of this one makes it obvious this is a corinthian column! If that’s true, than these ruins are even older than we were led to believe by that passage in the Celestial Record!”

Sorey's eyes glistened with excitement, and despite the heat, he found himself dashing over towards the pillars that Mikleo was examining.

Putting a hand up to his chin, Sorey looked upwards towards the frieze of the column, noting its intricate details and inscriptions.

"You know I think you're right! I can't make out all of it, but the script looks ancient. You can tell the way the glyphs aren't as stylized like they are in the Celestial Records. It's definitely older than what we expected..." he said, wishing he had the ability to climb all the way to the tops of the columns so he could inspect them more. He whistled appreciatively, loving the way the sound echoed off of some of the cave walls nearby.

That's all it took for him to get even _more_ excited.

"Alright!" the shepherd exclaimed. "Let's go exploring!" And he didn't even bother to wait for his faithful troupe. He knew they'd follow along, if only to make sure their shepherd didn't get himself lost or killed.

“Yes!” And Mikleo was right at Sorey’s side, his eyes equally aglow. The two stepped in through the cave entrance together, both of them hurrying and moving quickly, but all the same, no one else in the party had trouble keeping up, for their hurried feet only took them a short ways before they stopped to inspect something.

“Sorey, look at the stalactites; there’s carvings on them! And they have to be ancient because they’ve continued to form over the writings! It takes water hundreds of years to make this kind of growth in the limestone.”

Mikleo strained to see the writings that were hanging way up above them on the cave ceiling, but it was too far away.

“Fascinating. I wonder how they got up there to write. Oh! We should look for some stalag _mites_ instead! Maybe they wrote on those too!”

They moved deeper into the cave. The darkness started to overtake them and the blinding desert sun at their backs began to fade. But darkness had never been a problem for the exploring pair, for one of the first spells Mikleo had ever learned was how to produce light, and it’d been for exactly situations such as this. 

Waving a hand, he produced a small, blue, glowing orb in his palm. It was just a basic concentration of his seraphic magic, and any seraph could have done it. Lailah, following suit, produced a small flame in her open palm, casting firelight off the cave walls alongside Mikleo’s blue.

At the moment, the cavern was fairly small and there weren’t many ruins or artifacts to explore. But it hardly mattered; Sorey and Mikleo were so excited the air was almost buzzing around them.

“There’s one!” And Mikleo, in his excitement, and feeling like they were back in the privacy of Elysia due to their ruin exploring, reached out a hand and quickly wrapped it around Sorey’s upper arm. Pulling him in close, he gripped him, then started to run over to the stalagmite he’d spotted. But once they reached it, disappointment took over.

“Aww…no carvings.”

But almost as soon as his disappointment started to show, a sudden ‘whoosh’ was heard, startling both boys.

“Whoa!” And then following the sudden noise was a rush of cool, crisp air from behind the stalagmite. Blinking, Mikleo released Sorey’s arm, then looked down and started to move around to the back of it. There he found a small hole in the rock ground.

“This seems to be acting as a sort of vent,” he observed. He walked over to it, positioning himself above it and just to its side. He patiently waited. Then, as he’d hoped, another gust of cool air was blasted out and upward. The wind lasted several seconds, and it was cool and refreshing, especially after being in the desert. Mikleo closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the wind rush through his open cloak and white locks of hair. 

“God that feels good,” he commented. And it was clear he was much more at home in a cool crisp cave than out in the hot desert sun. Much more in his own element, he seemed to be perking up very quickly. It wasn’t just the ruins, but the environment they were in. The wind still rushing over and through him, ruffling the blue tendrils on his cloak, he glanced over his shoulder, smiling Sorey’s way.

“You’ve got to come try this Sorey,” he said, seemingly completely unaware of how luminescent he looked in that moment.

But Sorey could barely move. The sight of Mikleo, with the wind blowing through his hair and softly smiling at him, was simply too much. It didn't help that the seraph's light magic was casting beautifully ethereal glows on his locks and on his ever-smooth skin. And so, for a moment, all Sorey could do was stare.

After a couple of seconds, however, Sorey realized that the other youth was waiting for his response. "Uh, oh, yeah!" he stuttered, trying to get a hold of himself. The shepherd took a couple of seconds to mentally shake himself awake. In that short time span, he'd plodded his way over towards Mikleo. Standing across from him he waited for another rush of air, so he too could experience the magic of the place.

It only took a few seconds before there was another gust of wind and he felt his own chocolate brown locks blown up by the sudden rush, his cloak billowing out behind him as the air moved about his form. Sorey let himself close his eyes and decided to mimic the way Mikleo had inhaled the scent of the air, liking the fresh, earthy smell that emanated from somewhere below.

"This does feel amazing... I wonder where the wind's coming from," he asked nonchalantly, just relishing the moment, completely oblivious to how ridiculous he might truly look. He might not have been a water seraph, but he was human, and so the cool air and the shelter from the sun was a relief to him too, nearly just as much for him as for Mikleo. He liked the feeling of the cool air against his sweaty skin; it felt nearly as good as the scents carried by the wind to his sensitive nose.

For just a second, Mikleo stared at Sorey much in the same way Sorey had just been staring at him. Sorey may not have been a seraph, but that had never mattered. He was just as, if not more handsome, because he was human, because he was who he was, because he was Sorey. And his brunette hair getting all caught up in the wind, and seeing his orange feather earrings flying about his ears and his cloak billowing around him was just as thrilling as feeling the wind himself. And when he closed his eyes, truly feeling it inside of himself, it was the first time Mikleo ever thought that he might have the courage to lean in and kiss him. 

But just as he thought it, the wind stopped, and the pair’s hair and clothes fell back to their stationary positions around them, and it was almost like a spell had been broken. Suddenly, Mikleo was aware of the other three people in their party, standing just at their side, staring at them as if they were in some sort of performance piece. 

Mikleo fought a blush. Careful to hold his light away from his face, he hoped no one saw as he quickly spoke to answer Sorey’s question and hopefully distract the other’s from what he’d just been thinking.

“I can’t say where it’s coming from exactly,” he said. “But the scent of water in it is strong. I can feel it moving throughout the ruins. There’s water everywhere, even though we’re in the desert. Perhaps we’ve stumbled across an underground aquifer. It’s probably how the residents who once lived here were able to build a life in these caves.”

But no one was listening to Mikleo’s explanation. At least no one but Sorey. For the other three were too busy, staring. A worried look started to cross over Mikleo’s face, but that was only until Zaveid took an ever so slight step forward. And when he did, Mikleo looked to his face, and for once found him appearing rather stoic.  
“I finally understand now,” the wind seraph said calmly. “The wind just told me.”

And Mikleo couldn’t help it, for some reason, he became suddenly afraid. His face changing to incorporate that fear, he took an ever so slight step backward to mirror the way Zaveid had moved. 

Sorey cocked his head, not sure what the wind seraph meant.

"The wind told you? Told you what?" And it was obvious to all other four party members that Sorey had absolutely no idea what had just transpired, and he was none the wiser as to what Zaveid was talking about.

"And can you really talk to the wind?" Now the shepherd had on his 'thinking face', with his hand up to his chin, studying the wind seraph with some scrutiny.  
As clueless as he may be towards the subtleties of the conversation, Sorey was still vaguely aware that Mikleo had taken a step back. He wondered why, but most of his curiosity was now reserved towards Zaveid.

Zaveid broke out into a huge, sweeping grin of amusement as Edna literally facepalmed. 

“Oh my God…” she groaned. 

“Well well well!” Zaveid crooned. “I see you’ve got your work cut out for you Mikky! And I finally understand why you’ve been extra mopey lately. I’m guessing this is the reason for all those dreams and nightmares you’ve been having too, hm? And why you’ve been all distracted?”

And Mikleo’s fear quickly escalated into full blown panic. His violet eyes became as huge as saucers as they darted fearfully from Sorey, back to Zaveid. Then he immediately lifted his hands and started waving them in dismissal as if trying to put out a fire.

“Will you shut up!” he hissed. “What the hell’s the matter with you?!”

“Ah! Freaking out? No need for that! Zaveid is here to help! Now that I’m on the same page as everyone else, I can assist! I’m on your side Mikleo! Here, watch!” Zaveid turned to Sorey, and with a firm, proud smirk in place he said, “Yes, Sorey, I can talk to the wind, in a sense. And you might be surprised to know that the wind carries a lot more than just scents and seeds. It also carries people’s true feelings, you know, the secrets they keep in their hearts. And I just got a pretty good look at you and Mikky just now! And let me tell you, I like what I sa-!”

A blast of water seemed to appear from out of nowhere, and it came so fast and there was so much of it that Zaveid was drenched with one good, hard, splash. It had almost been a little _too_ violent considering it was being used as a tool to shut him up, and it had knocked Zaveid’s hat clear off his head. The wind seraph came out sputtering, his white hair hanging like a mop over his face.

“God that’s cold!” he cried. But Mikleo didn’t look apologetic at all. In fact, he was trembling with rage, the whites of his eyes showing as he held his staff from his most recent attack.

“This is why I didn’t want you to know! You can’t leave well enough alone! You’re a gossip and a socialite! And I won’t let you…won’t let you turn this into that! It’s too important! This is something _I_ have to do! Don’t you _dare_ take this away from me!”

But Sorey honestly had absolutely no idea what was happening. He'd figured out it had something to do with Mikleo, but that was about it.

He jumped back in surprise when Zaveid was suddenly doused with water, letting out a startled cry, as he looked back and forth between the enraged Mikleo and the now completely drenched wind seraph.

"H-Hey!" Sorey tried, holding up his hands in a placating matter. "I'm...not really sure what's going on, but we should probably all calm down," he said in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

And truthfully, he wasn't exactly sure what all the fuss was about. What secrets in their hearts was Zaveid talking about? Sorey didn't feel like he had any secrets. Did...Mikleo?

Suddenly he wasn't so sure. Zaveid had mentioned that he knew the reason behind Mikleo's nightmares and dreams. Did that mean he knew what was bothering Mikleo? And Mikleo didn't want Zaveid to tell him...

Sorey swallowed hard, his brown eyebrows scrunching up as he kept his distance from the air vent, clearly confused and also concerned.

"Okay, well...whatever's going on, let's...try to move on?" he offered, really not wanting to see a fight between Mikleo and Zaveid.

And Mikleo, knowing Sorey better than he even knew himself, immediately faced his childhood friend, hurt written all over his face because he knew very well that Sorey now thought he was keeping secrets from him. Sorey didn’t yet understand what they were talking about because he was so cute and innocent and naïve, but he understood enough from what Zaveid had said that Mikleo was keeping something from him. And that, Mikleo knew, would hurt him. And the idea of Sorey ever being hurt by anything he could or would do was nearly devastating.

“I’ll tell you!” Mikleo cried, urgently, firmly and with a resolve he himself hadn’t expected. “I’ve been trying too, all this time! But things keep getting in the way! Please…I haven’t meant to keep anything from you! I haven’t! We’ve always told each other everything. There’re no secrets between us! I want to say…I want to say something. But it’s important, so I’ve been waiting for the right time. It’s too important to just blurt out. So please…wait a little longer? I promise Sorey. Please…try to understand?”

There was a second of silence as everyone took in Mikleo’s heartfelt words. But then, promptly, it was Edna who lifted her umbrella and cracked it down on top of Zaveid’s head. Hard.

“OW!” he howled, as he lifted both hands to his soaking wet hair.

“See what you did to poor Meebo? I hope you at least feel a little shame.”

Lailah, who seemed to be the only reasonable one at the moment, quickly turned around and headed toward the cave wall on the other side, a good few yards away.  
“Oh look! There’s one of those cave formations Mikleo was talking about earlier! Let’s go look at it for a second!”

Then, reaching out her hands, she grabbed onto both Zaveid and Edna’s wrists and began to force them to come with her. It was a nice gesture and would give Sorey and Mikleo at least a minute or two to whisper back and forth, but it certainly wasn’t going to be good enough for a confession. But at the very least, she could allow them time to settle what had just come up.

Relief that the shepherd hadn't known he'd needed to feel, flooded through Sorey the instant Mikleo told him he wasn't keeping any secrets. And that he wanted to tell him, very badly, what was going on with him. He just hadn't had a good chance to. Everything in the seraph's explanation was sincere, and Sorey would never, ever doubt Mikleo's honesty, not even for a second. And so, that was enough for him.

He waited until Lailah had escorted Zaveid and Edna away to go look at the cave formations on the other side of the cavern. Then, the young shepherd was able to reply in earnest, without fear of someone watching their every gesture and hanging onto their every word.

"It's okay. I understand. Well..." And he did one of his classic moves, scratching his head while looking a little embarrassed, as he expounded on his explanation. "I don't understand what exactly just happened, but I get it. You want to tell me, but it has to be right. And it has to be on your time. I get that, Mikleo. And I trust you. If you’re waiting for a good time, then I'll wait until you're ready. So...no worries, okay?" And he playfully jostled the seraph on the upper arm, nudging it with his own, in a gesture of affection.

Mikleo immediately and instantly calmed. Sorey was so easy and simple. And although it was this exact quality that had nearly driven him crazy the other day in the tent, it was also this quality that often times put him at peace, as it was now. Sorey loved him and trusted him. They both knew that. And so, an explanation like this one, despite its vagueness, was enough for the shepherd. As long as he still knew their relationship was solid; that was all he needed.

Mikleo let off a scoff, a small smile coming over his lips as his entire demeanor loosened back up.

“You’re so blasé,” he said, reaching out to shove Sorey back in an easy-going fashion. “I swear, sometimes I’m afraid your simplemindedness is going to rub off on me.”

“Hey!” Sorey objected, but Mikleo responded by shoving him playfully a second time. But before Sorey could retaliate with more shoves of his own, Mikleo held up a hand to stop their play and to quiet him for just a moment more. 

“It sure is nice though…” he said, a little more quietly than his previous words, just to ensure the others didn’t hear. “I can build up worries upon worries, and then you just dash them all with a single word.” Lifting his amethyst eyes, he locked them onto Sorey’s emerald green. “You put me at ease, Sorey.” 

Sorey was warmed from head to foot from the seraph's gentle words. Mikleo could be so sweet when he wanted to be. The shepherd felt a sudden rush of affection flood up from within his chest, overcoming him as swiftly as the air current that had swept past him mere moments before, and Sorey found himself blushing from the compliment. He tried his best to adjust to the pressure he felt in his chest as he stood there with the seraph. 

"I'm glad I do," he said softly, matching Mikleo's volume. "You do the same for me, you know." And his green eyes were full of warmth for his most cherished person. "And even when I don't understand or catch something...you always do. You get it," he complimented. "We complement each other," he stated, already knowing that Mikleo knew that, too, but incapable of not reiterating that simple truth. 

Mikleo saw the softness in Sorey’s face and he saw the color in his cheeks. His leaf green eyes had a quality about them that he just loved. And if the others hadn’t been so nearby, Mikleo knew he would have confessed right then and there. But as it was, he knew it was once again not the right time. He wanted to be alone with Sorey when that happened. But that was proving to be vastly more difficult than he ever imagined. 

“Sorey,” he said quietly, taking a single step forward. They were both already so close. “You already know what I’m going to say to you. And I already know how you’ll answer. But all the same, I can’t _wait_ to tell you.” And he couldn’t help himself then, a bright smile shimmered over his face and his cheeks grew ever so slightly rosy to match Sorey’s.

Sorey felt his heart give off a funny lurch when Mikleo smiled. At that moment, the seraph was stunningly beautiful, and the shepherd found himself reacting to it. A hot blush covered his face, all the way up to the tips of his ears, and he had to look away again.

He cleared his throat for a second, trying to regain his sense of composure so he could answer properly.

"Then...I look forward to it," he said with his own smile, still not one hundred percent sure what Mikleo was talking about...although a part of him wondered, _if._  
Whatever it was, it was a good thing. And Mikleo was looking forward to it. And that’s all that really mattered. That and his smile right at that moment.

Mikleo chuckled, unable to help himself for Sorey was so adorable. And finding it was just impossible to stay away from him in this exact moment in time, he couldn’t help it as he reached out both hands and grabbed at his sides in order to tickle him. Sorey let out a shriek, and it was so unmanly and so shrill, as it was every time they had a tickle fight, that Mikleo couldn’t help the laugh that burst from his mouth. 

“Why you-!” 

“Get your revenge if you can!” 

And then of course, Sorey retaliated, throwing his hands forward in order to try and tickle Mikleo in return. Mikleo laughed out loud, not so much because Sorey was any good at tickling, but more for the fact that it was just so much fun. He’d always loved these types of games perhaps more than anything else they did together. Dare he think it…even more than exploring ruins. 

It had always been a safe way to flirt growing up. Playing games like this had always been acceptable by the adults around them. After all…they were kids and they were boys. And so a game of chase, or tag, or wrestling, or a tickle fight, were all parts of growing up. And when they were young, it was all they knew how to do. It was only recently that Mikleo even became aware that they could do more. And he hadn’t wanted more until the realization had come upon him. But for now at least, it felt so good to just be themselves and be carefree the way they always had been. They could figure the rest out later and together, the way they did everything together.

Across the cave, three other seraphs, one still soaking wet, watched the exchange. They’d been trying not to eaves drop and had been trying to give the two space, but it was hard to ignore, even from such a distance, when boyish shrieks of laughter filled the hollow chamber, echoing all around them as their voices bounced off the walls. And of course, when the two lovebirds started playing so physically, it was just impossible not to look over.

Zaveid gaped, “How the fuck didn’t I know about this before?” he questioned.

Lailah giggled, “I think they were holding back a little. At least I know Mikleo has been. You and Edna weren’t with us before, but they were like this at the start of our journey together. When I first joined the group and it was just the three of us, this is the way they were.”

Edna scoffed, “Gross…”

But Zaveid had a much different opinion, “Why would they hold back? Because of me? Why wouldn’t they trust me?”

“No…I don’t think it was because of you Zaveid. They started pulling back when Edna joined.” And no one said it out loud, but it was fairly obvious to as why this might have happened. Edna’s one word comment about them just a second ago had made it clear enough. Both Lailah and Zaveid turned and glanced at her. Casually and slowly, she twirled her umbrella.

“What?” she grumbled. “It’s nothing against them personally, I just think _all_ romance is gross.”

And that, Lailah actually believed. Edna simply wasn’t the type to like anything mushy or affectionate, and she had a generally overall negative nature about her.  
“Even so,” Lailah said, “Their relationship’s at a crucial turning point and it needs to be treated delicately. I think the mere awareness of a negative attitude in our party was enough to make Mikleo, a water seraph, even more cautious than before.”

“Ugh…those water seraphim…” Zaveid groaned as a water droplet dripped from the tip of his nose. “They take everything so slowly and they’re overcautious about everything! How long has this been going on! It’s almost painful to watch. They should just get it over with quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid.”

“Zaveid, you can’t rush things like this. I know as a wind seraph you like to just blow on through things, but that’s not the way Mikleo wants it. He made that very clear a moment ago.”

Edna let out another ‘phht’ as she choked on a laugh.

“I’ll say,” she sneered. “He knocked you off of your high horse faster than you could climb up onto it!”

“Edna! That was a wonderful simile! I’m so proud of you!” Edna rolled her eyes. “Anyway,” Lailah started again. “I promised Mikleo we would help them out by finding a way to give them some alone time together so he can tell Sorey how he truly feels. If the opportunity ever arises, we should take it.”

Zaveid nodded in agreement.

“I’m all for helping out love, no matter what form it takes. After all, I am an expert on love! You can call me a love master!”

Both Lailah and Edna rolled their eyes at that one. 

“Ok ‘love master,’” Edna dripped. “Let’s head on back over there and break up this tickle fest or we’ll be stuck in this cave forever. As a love master, you’d know how to do that, right?”

Zaveid nodded, a confident grin overtaking his face. 

“Of course I do. Watch and learn little Edna.” Still dripping wet, he first took the time to call up some wind. He blasted himself dry again in a few seconds flat. Then, raising a hand over his head, he called out to the two as he started to jog back over to them.

“Hey you guys, let’s keep exploring! You wanted to see more of the ruins, right?”

Sorey had just managed a good poke on Mikleo's belted sides when Zaveid interrupted their tickle fight. And the shepherd's reaction was nothing but pure and simple joy.

"The ruins!" he exclaimed, turning towards his love interest, green eyes wide and sparkling.

"That's right! We have to keep going," he said with a grin. So much weight had just been taken off of him with just the few short moments he'd had with Mikleo to play. And now...he got to do something else he loved: explore a new place with his most special person. The day was shaping up to be great.

"Let's go Mikleo!" With that, Sorey was excitedly off, looking at anything and everything around the cave. He knew Mikleo and the others were right there with him.


	9. Chapter 9: More of Sorey

** Chapter 9 **

More of Sorey

Mikleo seemed to be back to his old self, all the stress the other’s had seen eating away at him, gone. Instead, he was as eager as Sorey to move ahead. They did so as a group, and very soon the cave before them started to widen as they traveled.

“It’s widening,” Mikleo observed, “Maybe something more interesting’s coming up.”

And he was right. The pathway grew larger and larger, until his blue light and Lailah’s red, revealed an open cavern before them. And when they approached the new room, all of them let out a gasp as they stepped across the entranceway.

“Whoa!” Out before them was a humungous cavern. It stretched further back than they could see. The ceiling was at least 80 or maybe 90 feet above them, and the huge stalactites they saw in the passageway on the way here now looked tiny off in the distance. But the thing that made them all so amazed was that the entire cavern was a huge underground ruin. The ruin looked as if it had once been a full fledge city. But now it was abandoned and crumbling. But the evidence of daily life was still there and it was also well preserved. 

There were old buildings; roofs caving in and most with only one or two walls left, but all the same, it was unmistakable to as what they were. There was also old pottery, some shattered or cracked, but some appearing almost completely intact. The buildings grew larger in scale as they looked down the cavern, and toward the center of the cave the buildings were several stories tall and were much more intricately designed. One was dome shaped and appeared to have a golden roof: or at least what was left of the roof. And it was also huge, spreading out over perhaps an entire fourth of the entire city. It was clearly some type of palace or royal dwelling.  
“Wow!” Mikleo cried, seemingly unable to come up with any other words at the moment. “The Celestial Record didn’t do even an inkling of justice to this place! I had no idea it was so huge! The writer needs to work on his descriptive skills!”

Sorey couldn't even speak he was so excited. He just stared at everything in wonder.

After a second, though, he had to respond. He just _had_ to geek out over all of this with Mikleo.

"I know, right? I mean..." And he swallowed hard, focusing on the sight of the once grand palace before them. "This place is impossibly well-preserved, and the cavern is so much more impressive than what the author had let on. And look!" He trotted over towards an ancient aqueduct, still pulling a tiny bit of water from some unknown source from deep within the cave, no doubt. "This looks like it could still function at its normal capacity, if it was given a little bit of maintenance," Sorey stated, fascinated by the conditions of the place they were surrounded in. "Whoever designed this...their architectural skills were incredible. This main aqueduct probably took care of most of the citizens of the city down here. I wonder where the water source is coming from?" And he turned to look curiously at Mikleo, wondering if he could somehow sense something nearby.

And of course he could, as he had told Sorey earlier. Feeling a bit of pride welling up from within him at being able to satiate Sorey’s curiosity, he stepped up to the aqueduct. Then, standing straight and erect, his shoulder’s back and his chin held proudly level to the ground, he faced the small trickle of water. Splaying one hand outward and toward it, he then let his eyelids glide closed.

“This’ll only take a moment,” he said in his usual stoic voice. And as he did, it was Zaveid that let out a small snort. Leaning over to Edna, he whispered,

“…showing off for Sorey…”

Edna giggled too, but only until both Zaveid and Edna received a very nasty, icy glared from the water seraph.

“Silence please. This takes concentration.”

The wind and earth seraph fell quiet and Mikleo refocused his attention on the aqueduct. Closing his eyes once more, he reached outward with his seraphic artes. Starting from the small trickle before him, he felt his way upward, letting his energy travel against the flow. Following the water like a ribbon, he found a larger source of it within the bedrock. But sensing there was even more, he continued onward, following the underground trickle until he found a stream, and then, past the stream, a reservoir. And then…past the reservoir a huge lake that was fed by a waterfall. 

“Wow…” he whispered more to himself than to anyone else around him.

“What? What is it?” Sorey asked eagerly. 

“If I didn’t just come from the sun and heat myself, I never would have guessed we’re in a desert,” Mikleo said, his eyes still closed as he continued to explore the huge boundaries of the water he’d just found. 

“This place is filled with water, even more so than what I expected back at the air vent. There’s a huge underground lake powered by a waterfall, and it spreads out in rivers throughout the bedrock. It’s all around us.”

“Really, that’s kinda cool!” Zaveid said. But it was actually Edna who responded.

“He’s right,” she said. “I can feel the empty places in the earth where the water must be.”

Sorey's eyebrows shot up at Mikleo's announcement. And his mouth fell a little open once Edna confirmed it.

"Really!?" he asked, excited all over again. "That's incredible...and it makes you wonder why the people who once lived here left the caves to begin with," he continued, placing a hand to his chin as he paced.

"If there was so much water...then why...." But that was a mystery. There was no real way to truly know why the people that had once clearly populated the caving system for decades had left. It could be a number of things. Maybe there had been a scarcity of food, or maybe there had been an illness that had swept through the populace at a swift and ravage pace. It was all truthfully conjecture. But that's what historians did: they analyzed the gathered information, and tried to think about what people who'd long since passed did.

"It'd be great if we had more recorded information on the place. But..." And Sorey looked back towards the golden palace. "I can't wait to do some more exploring. Shall we head on?" And he looked once again towards Mikleo for confirmation.

“Yes, but in just a moment. I’d like to bring this aqueduct back to life. Like you said, it appears fully functional. I just have to…”

And he let his voice trail off as he clearly began to concentrate again. Feeling upward just beyond the opening of the mouth they were currently looking at, he discovered a clog.

“Hmm…maybe if I can…” he mumbled to himself as he worked with the water. Taking a hold of the current around the clog, he gave it a great shove and pushed it through. With a slight ‘pop’ the water then came rushing outward. The face of the opening before them shuddered once and then ‘whoosh!’ The water came streaming out, cool, clear, and beautiful is if it had simply always belonged there. Immediately, it started to travel down the yellow brick waterway that was designed for it. And along this waterway, it began to travel all over the city where it once would have cared for all of the residence within the cavern. 

Needless to say, Sorey was beyond impressed. His expression was one of awe.

"Wow!” He gushed, then ran over and jostled Mikleo in the arm, good-naturedly. "Look at you, using your powers for good," and he flashed the water seraph a bright, wide grin. "Maybe that clog in the duct was the reason the people left the caverns to begin with. They probably didn't have a super awesome water seraph that could help them fix it."

And of course, Mikleo loved getting compliments from Sorey, and he was about to respond when Edna beat him to it.

“As if an entire city of people would up and leave their city because there was a clog in _one_ of their aqueduct pipes. Obviously, they would figure out a way to fix it rather than die or go extinct. Seriously Sorey, you either need more common sense or you need to tone down your grandiose thoughts of Mikleo.”

Mikleo’s feelings of flattery quickly died and a frown overtook his face. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sighed.

“She’s right…” he sourly admitted. “That clog is a product of disuse over time. It’s the same reason all the other pipes are clogged up too. It’s simply been far too long since they’ve been maintenanced.” Looking off to the palace, he waved a hand. “Let’s keep going.”

Sorey bit back a retort. He'd just been trying to be nice and compliment Mikleo. He felt like he'd needed to do such a thing. Honestly, her reaction felt like an insult to both his intelligence, and also...his intentions towards Mikleo. As such, his eyes had narrowed, making him frown. Edna could really be a pill.

He pouted, and quickly agreed when the fair seraph suggested they keep moving.

"Right," he said, much less enthusiastically than before, but still looking forward for what was to come nonetheless. It was a _palace_ , in the ruins, so of course he was excited. A few seconds passed, and whatever ilk he'd felt towards Edna quickly dissipated, as he was too wound up with wonderment at the scenery before him. That was how Sorey was. It took a lot to get him angry, and when he was...well, the person probably deserved it, big time. Little things he could brush off. He was too good-natured not to.

The group continued to explore. And their journey was full of comments such as, “Sorey, take a look at this,” and “Mikleo, check this out!” The two stopped approximately every five feet, especially after they got down into the area that was once the cities street. They all stopped to look at broken pots, old tablets, and once even for a tattered piece of cloth that they couldn’t decide if it was an important remnant of a historical banner or…just garbage. They argued over it for a good ten minutes until Edna threatened to impale one of them with her umbrella if they didn’t get moving. Eventually, they made it to the royal palace.

“Whoa!” Mikleo and Sorey said together as they walked through the huge opening where a gate as large as a ship had once been. 

“This place is incredible. Look at all the surviving glyphs on the walls! What language do you think this is? Some sort of ancient Apollonian? No wait…this part looks Greek. But this character here…I’m almost certain it’s Norse…ugh! It’s all over the place! It’s too old for me to tell!”

Sorey fell silent as he examined the marks Mikleo had pointed out.

"Hmmn...you're right. The glyphs are really difficult to distinguish..." and he reached out and traced one with a rough hand, needing to feel it beneath his palm. "It's possible that some of them are worn down, due to time, but...even so. I don't recognize some of the glyphs written on these walls," he said, even as he examined the ruins before him.

Then Sorey turned to look at Mikleo, curiosity shining in his eyes again. "How old do you think something like this would have to be, for us not to recognize it?" They both knew that, between the two of them, they were well-versed in many of the ancient languages. And while it was of course possible that Gramps hadn't given them a book on this particular language, he'd been excellent at making sure the boys had as many historical books as he could get his hands on. Gramps had encouraged their education and their fascination for ancient culture, and as such, Mikleo and Sorey both had a vast knowledge of both the ancient and recent languages that humans had created over time.

“That’s hard to say,” Mikleo said, unable to keep himself from being at least a little happy at the way Sorey turned to him for advice. “If I only had the writings alone, I’d say it’s beyond the Asgard era and into something so ancient we have no text books on it. But because it’s in a city of this magnitude with advances such as aqueducts and palaces, it doesn’t quite fit.”

Lifting a hand to his chin, he gazed up at the glyphs in contemplation. 

“Perhaps this isn’t the language they actually used in this society, but rather a more ancient language that they used as decoration. You know, in a similar fashion to as how current day humans use Latin in their churches even though it’s a dead language.”

"That...is a definite possibility," Sorey agreed, humming to himself as he pondered what the ancients might have thought of. "I'm sure that we'll see more of it once we head deeper inside the palace," he said while palming the glyphs once more, enjoying the rough feeling against his fingertips. "Maybe there'll even be some murals or mosaics that we can examine." And it was clear from his intonations that nothing would make him happier than that.

“Maybe, if we’re lucky and they survived the ravages of time.” Mikleo kept his eyes on Sorey for a second or two, but when the shepherd didn’t stop tracing the glyphs with his fingers, Mikleo reached out and rapped the back of his knuckles on top of his brunette’s head just hard enough to cause a sting.

“Ow!”

“Stop touching the walls,” he scolded. “Do you really forget the rules of exploration so easily?”

Sorey pouted, his green eyes looking more puppy-like than ever. "I couldn't help it," he explained. "And that sort of hurt…" he stated, rubbing the place where Mikleo had struck. "I get it, though. No more touching the ruins," he said disenchanted. He truly couldn't have helped it. And Mikleo would know that. Sorey was bad about touching things and there being ill consequences. Like when they were little and he'd accidentally leaned up against a portion of the wall and set off a booby trap. That had been a bad accident. Thankfully, neither of the boys had been hurt, but Sorey had been careful with his elbows from then on out.

Mikleo let off a small smirk of a smile. Then, turning on his heel and letting his blue cloak trail behind him, he headed off deeper into the ruins. Sorey and the others followed. 

They moved down the hallways of the palace, checking out anything that they came across. And of course they stopped quite frequently to check out old artifacts. Eventually, the others started to get a little bored and so every so often Edna would run ahead or Zaveid would disappear off to the side to check out a different room.  
It was during one of these moments, when Sorey and Mikleo were arguing over what time period they thought a chipped bust was from, when Zaveid suddenly came running back over to them from down the hall. 

“Hey! Hey! You guys!” he cried, excitement in his eyes. “You’ve _gotta_ check this out!”

Leading the way, everyone else followed as the wind seraph took them down a long hallway. At the end of it there was a set of huge double wooden doors. They were clearly as old and decrepit as the rest of the palace, and no one dared move them or try to open them; but they didn’t have to. They were open just enough so that a person could walk through. And what was more was that they all clearly saw light coming from the other side. 

The light was natural, and looked like sunlight. It was vastly different from Mikleo’s blue seraphic glow or Lailah’s red. And so, everyone intrigued, they all stepped up to see what was inside.

Putting out their lights, the group stepped through the doors one by one. And once on the other side, they all let out gasps of wonder.

“Whoa!”

“Wow!”

“It’s beautiful!”

On the other side of the doors, the group found themselves in a courtyard. Clearly still inside the palace, for yellowed ruin walls surrounded them on all sides, the space between them and those walls was the size of a stadium. And they were also clearly still underground, for the cave roof, complete with stalactites, remained above them. But the huge difference here was that there was a large fissure in the cave ceiling above them. And that fissure was allowing sunlight to stream through just in the center of the courtyard. In reality it wasn’t much sunlight at all, but after being underground and being used to the dark, it was almost brilliantly bright.  
The sunlight had clearly been used by the royalty of the palace to create a beautiful courtyard. In the very center of the yellow stones was a shallow pool of water. It was crystal clear and perfectly still. And surrounding that pool of water was the greenest, softest bed of moss any of them had ever seen. And sprouting up and outward from the edges of the moss were a variety of plants: small white and pink flowers, ferns, small shrubs, and eventually, trees. 

The trees couldn’t grow very large in the dark environment of the cave, but they had still survived and even thrived at their sapling like size for a long time on the bit of sunlight they were provided. The same went for the other plants. Left to their own devices after so much time untended, the garden was wild. In some patches there were no plants at all and all they could see was the yellow stone showing through, but then in other places the plants were thickly clustered. There was a rose patch on the other side of the stadium-like courtyard that seemed bound and determined to take over the entire garden by force.

As if all of this wasn’t beautiful enough, the group found themselves surrounded by palace columns on all sides. And just to top it all off, there were just five stairs leading down into the courtyard, making it just a bit of decoration.

“This is unbelievable!” Mikleo cried as he took it all in. “That water there in the center, it’s a natural underground spring! It’s the only reason it’s still so pure and hasn’t been corrupted or turned toxic. And that little spring has nourished this entire courtyard all of this time all alone and with no human interference!”

"The celestial record didn't mention anything about this," Sorey said in a small voice. The courtyard with all of the plants, and the small pure pool of water, were just too beautiful for words. It wasn't just that someone had clearly excavated it hundreds of years ago. It was the way the water and the plant life flourished without human intervention. The place was so serene; Sorey couldn't help but feel like it was holy. As if they'd stumbled upon something so pure that walking into it would interrupt its ambiance. 

Even so, he took a tentative step forward, wanting to get a closer look at the pool. "This is incredible," he said, cautiously stepping further in, as if he was going to disturb something just by being there.

"It's amazing what nature can do when left to its own devices." And the shepherd peered up at the sunlight streaming through the cavern roof, then back down towards the rose bushes farther away. "Incredible."

All of them stood in awed silence for a long moment. But after that moment was up, it was Lailah, who suddenly said,

“Well! This seems like the perfect place! Zaveid, Edna, what do you think?” And the other two seraphim, clearly knowing exactly what it was Lailah was referring too, quickly nodded, serious, yet contemplative looks on their faces.

Edna crossed her arms in front of her. 

“Yup, perfect environment for mushiness,” she agreed.

“I’ll say,” Zaveid agreed. “It has Zaveid’s stamp of approval!”

“Oh good…” Edna said, already rolling her eyes. “It never would’ve worked out without the love master’s stamp of approval.”

Zaveid chuckled. But Lailah seemed determined to keep their quest on track.

“Alright then, it’s decided.” Lifting a hand, the fire seraph suddenly called out loudly to Sorey. “Oh yoo-hoo! Sorey!” she practically sang. “Edna, Zaveid and I are going to go explore the rest of the palace! You and Mikleo stay here and enjoy the courtyard! We’ll meet you back here later!”

“Smooth…” Edna snorted.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re suspicious or not, all we have to do is give them plenty of time alone together. So come on! Let’s hurry!”

Turning, even before Sorey could really object or ask questions, the three seraphim suddenly vanished back out of the door they’d just entered in from.  
Mikleo, of course, had watched the entire thing unfold. And unlike Sorey, he knew exactly what the others were doing. He was extremely grateful, for this was precisely what he’d been waiting for all this time. But he was also immediately terrified as soon as he saw the other’s leaving. 

He had no excuse and no reason now to hold back. And with all three of their friends in on the secret, he knew he’d be given as much time as he needed to talk to Sorey. He’d been hoping, wishing, praying for that perfect moment, and now, it was finally here. And so now…it was all entirely up to him. And that made his hands and feet cold with sudden dread. 

_It’s silly to be afraid,_ he told himself. _After all, I already know how Sorey will respond. I already know he loves me too. So there’s no reason to be so nervous._  
All the same, he was. And his heart was already starting to beat quickly from within his chest as his hands and feet froze. He stared at the double doors where his friends had left, and suddenly, he was too scared to turn around and face the person he’d loved his entire life since before he could even remember.

Sorey had been too far away to hear any of the conversation taking place between his seraph companions. He'd gone to take a good look at the moss growing around the pool. He'd turned around to enthuse about it, but that's when Lailah had shouted out to him, stating that they were going to look around. It looked like everyone was leaving except Mikleo. After blinking a couple of times, he walked over towards the water seraph, and placed an arm on his shoulder casually, completely unaware of the inner turmoil that was brewing inside the other young man.

"They just left? But this place is so pretty," he stated, looking at the door that they'd since passed through.

“Yes, it is,” Mikleo agreed, keeping his violet eyes on the door for several more seconds. But then, he knew he had to turn and address Sorey. And already, simply with the shepherd resting an arm so casually on his shoulder, Mikleo felt a bit more relaxed. It was as he’d told him earlier: Sorey put him at ease. And so, when he did finally turn to look at him, Mikleo found that all of his jitters almost immediately settled. 

Sorey was as Sorey as ever. His face was smooth, his green eyes alive with light and life, and his chocolate hair was slightly messed from their ruin exploring and the wind vent they’d shared earlier. His head was cocked slightly to the side, and a curious look over came him when he saw Mikleo had something to say. He was, as always, adorable in his innocence and naivety. In simply looking at him, Mikleo wanted to smile. And just like that, his fear was gone and he knew he could start.

“The other’s left purposefully so that I’d have the chance to talk to you,” he confessed, keeping his face stoic as he did so. “We’ll have all the time we need now.” 

Eyebrows raised, Sorey immediately responded. "Oh really?" he asked, seeming surprised, but pleased, as was evident by his warm smile. "That was really nice of them. I'm glad. I know you've been wanting to talk about something for a while," he said a little more seriously, his green eyes peering at his companion, trying to figure out what Mikleo could want to talk about.

"So, I'm all ears," he stated, crossing his arms up and behind his head, as he kept his gaze on the beautiful seraph in front of him. "Whenever or whatever you want to talk about. I'm here." And the warmth and caring was clear in his voice. He didn't know what his most precious person wanted to talk to him about, but he knew it was important, he knew Mikleo had been worried about something, and that he'd been having nightmares. If Sorey could do anything to help Mikleo, no matter what it was, he'd do it. That...and it was really nice to have some time alone with him. It never really happened, just as he'd thought in the tent after the seraph had passed out from heat exhaustion. And so this chance with him, alone, was precious.

Mikleo stared at Sorey for just a second, then he couldn’t help but to let off a small scoff as a quiet smile overcame his face.

“As guileless as always…” Silence fell between them again, but only for a second. Then Mikleo turned and gestured to the steps that led down into the courtyard. “Let’s sit,” he said. The stairs were only a few feet away, and Mikleo carefully settled himself in. One foot stretched out, he curled up the other so that he could fold both hands around his knee. And once he was situated, he waited until Sorey looked comfortable too. After ensuring he was, he looked outward and toward the beautiful garden before them. The ruins were silent, and with no wind or animals in the caves around them, it was almost a little spooky. 

“Sorey…” he stared slowly. “Glaivend Basin changed a lot of things for me. It was such a…terrifying and extreme experience. And it forced my perspective to shift on feelings and ideas I thought were rock solid.” His violet eyes grew a little sad. “Going through something like that made me realize we’re not as indestructible as we used to think when we were kids. It showed me how fleeting we really are. It reminded me that you’re human, and therefore mortal, and it also made me realize perhaps for the first time since I was born, that just because I’m a seraphim, it doesn’t mean I can’t die too. We’re all…gambling with time. And time is a precious thing.”

His grip on his knee increased a little, causing him to squeeze.

“Other seraphim don’t realize how important and waning time actually is. They think they have forever because we don’t age. But those seraphim…those seraphim don’t have a human in their lives. They don’t…they just don’t know what it means.”

Lifting his eyes away from the garden, he finally turned to look at Sorey.

“I don’t want to waste what time we have. Glaivend Basin showed me what’s truly important. It stirred something up in me, and I’m hoping, it stirred something up in you too.”

Mikleo looked to Sorey in a magnetic sort of way, and there was a long second where the shepherd would have felt the pressure from such a stare. But before he could feel too awkward, or think of how to respond, Mikleo said one more thing,

“We never talked about what happened at the Basin,” he said. “I think we both avoided it because it was so terrible. But I think…I think now is the time to discuss it, before I go any further with the things I want to tell you.”

Sorey swallowed hard, his expression morphing into one of sadness and discomfort. The battle at the Basin had been terrifying. And he'd been trying his best not to think about it. But...it looked like they needed to talk about it. There was no way Sorey would deny Mikleo that, even if he knew that the feelings that would soon stir in him would be painful.

He was silent for a minute, thinking how to start up, his gaze off into the distance as he processed everything. Then, the shepherd spoke up.

"It was terrifying," he confessed. "The sheer malevolence was so potent, so powerful, that it felt...crushing." His voice cracked the tiniest bit on that last word.  
"And then you were gone. You were gone, and..." Sorey's own grip on his knees intensified, his gloved hands curling up as he remembered just how devastating that had actually been.

"You've never been gone. You'd always been there by my side," and he looked back to Mikleo then, his green eyes full of tumult and pain. "And that feeling, of not knowing where you were or what was happening, was...probably the worst feeling I've ever experienced," he confessed again, letting off a sort of half-laugh, half choking noise as he looked back across the way.

"It was worse than the blows I took. Worse than anything physical that I endured." His voice was quiet, much quieter than it had been before. "And it made me feel...a lot of things. Scared, helpless..." And he closed his eyes, tucking his head towards his knees. He needed a second to gather control over himself before continuing. Mikleo may be considered the more stoic person, but Sorey didn't exactly want to lose himself in those prior feelings, not when they had so much to talk about.  
"But it also made me realize how much I need you," he said, opening his leaf-green eyes again and looking at Mikleo in earnest. "I can't go through that again. At least, I never want to. I don't want...you to not be there. I don't even know what I would do, if you weren't..." And Sorey trailed off, taking in a deep breath, trying to gather himself again, waiting for Mikleo's response.

“I was there,” was Mikleo’s immediate response as he put a hand earnestly to his chest. “I was there the entire time. I _never_ left your side.” His face matched Sorey’s then in the amount of anguish and intensity it held. 

“I could see you. I could hear you. But when I realized you couldn’t see me…I…” And he had to stop, for his emotions threatened to overtake him the same way Sorey’s had threatened him. 

“It was like I didn’t exist. I tried talking to you, then screaming at you, but you just…didn’t respond at all. I tried…tried to grab you, but my hands went through your body as if I was a ghost. And you…you were looking around all over for me, appearing so lost and hopeless. I couldn’t do anything to help you. All I could do was watch. And when those hellions came at you, that entire army, I… couldn’t…couldn’t do _anything!_ ”

His expression tensed and for just a second he had to look away for the sheer amount of anguish the memory caused him. But after a few breaths of air, he made himself turn back around once more, the same intensity in his amethyst eyes.

“I stood in front of you, tried to protect you, but none of my artes were working. No one’s were. And so I…I tried to grab a hold of you as you started going over the cliff face but…I could do nothing to stop it. So…I went over the edge with you.”

Mikleo let off a heavy sigh, his face appearing pained. 

“You said it was the worst feeling you ever experienced. It was mine too. And I’ve been having nightmares about it ever since. This…this idea that we could be separated like that…” And the concept seemed truly so horrific that Mikleo couldn’t help it when he lifted his arms to hug himself as if a cold were settling in around them.

"It's horrible," he said, finishing Mikleo's thought, even as he tried to absorb what the seraph had shared with him. "The thought that we could…" but he couldn't finish it again. As painful as the conversation was, at least now he knew what Mikleo had been dreaming about. And that was a relief.

"Mikleo, I'm so sorry you've been having nightmares," he said worriedly, scooting closer to the seraph. "Is that the reason you've been sleeping in later than usual?" he asked, already knowing the answer, even without the other boy's admittance.

"You were there the whole time, trying to help me," he said, looking straight ahead again, even as he pressed his shoulder into Mikleo's. 

"I...I can't imagine how painful that must have been for you," he said, sounding genuinely pained for his special person. "I'm so sorry Mikleo." And he didn't know why he was apologizing. It hadn't been his fault. But all the same, he felt awful that the person he loved the most had gone through something like that. And he just had to say something to try and make it better. He didn't like Mikleo being in pain.

When Sorey moved in closer to him, when he sat beside him and let their shoulder’s touch, Mikleo felt that usual wave of happiness overtake him, even though they were discussing something dismal. And that feeling let him know that he was indeed, one hundred percent, on the right track. Talking with Sorey like this about his true feelings was exactly what they needed. Even if there were a lot of monsters to chase out of closets first before they could get to the good things. Mikleo felt it was important that he tell Sorey everything. He didn’t want the person he loved and was about to confess to, to not understand something he’d been going through lately. Especially since all of those things were concerning him.

“I’ve been afraid of the malevolence ever since,” he revealed. “The smaller hellions are ok…but every time we face something big or I feel it starting to well up in the area we’re traveling in, it’s then that I…I’ve become very afraid…”

He looked out to the garden again, if only to try and focus on something other than his fear.

“I look to you to find out if you can still see me. Or I’ll ask you some useless question just to see you turn at the sound of my voice. Because every time I feel the malevolence like that I…”

He didn’t finish, and he didn’t need to. And he took the moment to lean his shoulder just a little more snugly into Sorey’s, since he had already offered.  
“I don’t want to disappear…”

It was almost too much for Sorey. Almost.

"So that's why..." he said, before mirroring Mikleo and looking out to the gardens again. "I'd noticed that you were looking to me, and asking me some things occasionally, and the timing sometimes seemed off, but I didn't know the reason behind your actions," he admitted, pausing for a brief moment, before starting up again.

"I don't want you to disappear either. And I don't want you to have to feel that way again, ever. Never again," he said, swallowing again, as he found it difficult to deal with his painful emotions.

"If you...if you need to keep doing those things, that's okay," Sorey said, wanting to comfort his special person. "And honestly, now that I know that's why you've been doing it, I...I want you to know you can always reach out, if you're worried," he said. "Anything I can do, I will, to make it better." And Sorey looked to Mikleo then, searching his face, to watch for his reaction.

Mikleo stared at Sorey. There were times when he just couldn’t keep his eyes off of him. And when Sorey was being sweet and honest, as was his way, that was when Mikleo found himself drawn to him the most.

“You’ve always been so earnest,” he said, keeping a hold on his bright green eyes. He’d always loved the soft spring color of them. “It’s one of the many things I really like about you.” And the comment was warm and full, before he let off a small smirk. “And also one of the things that makes me worry about you the most.”

The soft smile still on his face, Mikleo glanced down to his hands, which were still folded over his knee. For some reason, now that he was feeling those butterflies in his chest again, he was more aware of the fact that his coat was still open in the front. But, that was ok. Being exposed was exactly what his goal was in this moment.  
“There’s one more thing I wanted to talk about, but it ties in with the nightmare I had last night, so…I wanted to start with that.”

Looking to Sorey, he found his childhood friend open and eager, as always, ready to listen to him.

“I’ve been dreaming about the malevolence,” he said. “But I’ve also been dreaming about you.” Mikleo paused for a second here, just to see the look that came over Sorey’s face. And as he suspected, his naïve puppy-dog face is what came over him, letting him know that Sorey still didn’t quite know what this meant and that he would need more.

“As I said earlier, Glaivend Basin awakened something inside of me, and it opened my eyes to what’s most important. And I’ve come to realize throughout this entire journey, that the most important thing to me is us, and our relationship. _You’re_ what’s most important Sorey. 

It’s the reason I came along after all. I couldn’t let you transverse the world alone. I was worried about you, because you’re so naïve, sure, but…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go for my own purposes. I…couldn’t stand the idea of being apart from you. 

I’d been talking to Gramps about it for years, ever since you started reading The Celestial Record and expressing interest in exploring the world of humans. I…I went home to Gramps crying after you told me you wanted nothing more than to see the great sights outside of Elysia.”

Mikleo unfolded his hands from his knee, and soft smile still on his face, he looked out to the spring before them in fond memory.

“Gramps knew…even back then what I was really upset about. He knew I was afraid of being separated from you. And so, from then on, he started teaching me about humans and the human world in order to prepare me for the day I would leave Elysia with you. He gave me tons of books to read, and warned me about how no one would be able to see or hear me. He educated me to the best of his ability to ensure that not only I was safe, but that I’d be able to keep you safe too.

I packed my bag last year. I didn’t know when you were going to decide to leave, but I knew you would do it suddenly one day and without warning. And I knew you’d try to leave me behind because you wouldn’t want me to face so much danger. So I had to be ready to leave without so much as a moment’s notice.”

Leaning back, Mikleo rested his palms on the yellow stairs behind him. Turning his head, he looked to Sorey, his expression slowly changing as he spoke, confessing one thing right after another. His purple eyes were somehow becoming more compelling as he looked once again to his childhood friend.

“Now why do you think I’d do something like that? Seems pretty extreme don’t you think?”

Sorey was in awe. Mikleo had prepared for his departure years ago. And he'd been so afraid of losing Sorey, he'd...

There was this odd sort of pressure starting to escalate inside of him, and it made him feel warm all the way down to his toes. His childhood companion had done all of that, for him. It made Sorey feel impossibly special. But as far as answering Mikleo's question, Sorey was left silent, his green eyes shining with anticipation and wonderment.

Something inside of him told him that Mikleo's reason behind his actions was very good. Very, very good, and Sorey was starting to feel excited, but also confused. And he didn't know why.

"You...didn't want to be without me," he said, knowing that perhaps that answer wasn't enough. No, there was something he wasn't quite grasping. The puzzle pieces were being put together, but Sorey didn't have the full picture, not just yet. Perhaps he should have; the young man could be incredibly astute when it came to archaeological information and tidbits of information, but other things eluded the gentle shepherd. Mikleo would have to spell it out for him. Sorey didn't and couldn't say anything else. He was trying as best as he could to figure out what exactly the seraph was trying to say, and Mikleo's eyes were impossible to look away from. And so Sorey waited, waited to hear what else the aquamarine-haired beauty would say.

Mikleo’s smile grew just a little bit bigger. He _loved_ Sorey’s sincere nature. And even though usually it was at times like this that his inability to read emotions agitated Mikleo, at the moment he only thought of it as precious. And he knew the reason behind it now was that Sorey didn’t _need_ to get what he was saying. Mikleo planned to tell him as straight forward as a person possibly could. There was no way Sorey wouldn’t understand. And so, for the moment at least, he was enjoying his quizzical expression. He was, as always, adorable with such a face on.

“Yes, I didn’t want to be without you,” Mikleo admitted. “And at the time, that’s all I thought it was too, even though the truth was that it was so much more. We were both too young and sheltered inside of Elysia to see it, or let ourselves see it. But ever since we’ve been journeying in the world and experiencing so many new things together, we’ve been growing. I know I have. The past few months with you out here have been…so amazing.”

Mikleo dared not turn away from Sorey now. And as he finally built up to the moment of truth, he felt his heart start to pick up pace in his chest. It suddenly started beating so quickly and so powerfully that it almost stole his breath away. Lifting a hand, he placed it on his chest to try and settle himself down.

“Sorry,” he said after catching his breath, “I’m just a little nervous.” There was no point in hiding it. Sorey could see right through him. And besides, there were no secrets between them, especially not now.

“Sorey,” Mikleo started again, keeping his amethyst eyes on him. “I love what we have. We’ve been best friends since before I can even remember. And with the way I feel about it, I want to say even before we were born. There has never been a day when we haven’t cared for each other, or haven’t been together. I can’t…even imagine my life without you in it. We know each other inside and out, and you’ve had my true name since we were little kids.”

His violet eyes stared, and Mikleo didn’t even blink.

“Sorey…no one’s supposed to know a seraphim’s true name. No one but a spouse. And I guess…the shepherd. But I gave you my name only a little after we were toddlers. I’ve…felt this connection with you that’s so strong that I can’t even explain it or truly understand what it is. All I know for certain, after Glaivend Basin and all my nightmares, is that I want _more_ of it.”

Mikleo leaned in, putting his face very near Sorey’s so he couldn’t look away. His eyes intense, he finally let go of the thing that’d been eating him alive inside since the battlefield.

“I love you, Sorey. I think I always have. And although what we’ve always had together all these years is great, it’s not enough anymore. I need that connection we feel to be stronger. I want to be closer to you. And I want you closer to me too. I need… need… just… _more_.” 

He was already so close, but he dared to move in even closer still, until their noses were just an inch apart.

“Those dreams I’ve been having; they’re not all bad. You’re in a lot of them Sorey. And my subconscious made it very clear what it is I want. It shouted until I listened, until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. And when I wake up from those dreams and realize that we don’t have what my subconscious just told me we should…my heart _aches_ and…I’m lonely.”

And there it was. The second Mikleo had told him that he loved him, Sorey felt his own consciousness echo it. Yes, yes, that's exactly what he felt towards the seraph. It was the truest, purest word for how he felt about the impossibly beautiful being right in front of him, the one he needed more than anything or anyone else. Things started to fall into place for the shepherd, and as they did, Sorey's own heart started to pound away inside his chest. Surely Mikleo could hear it even as he spoke.

Then, the other young man continued, explaining what those _other_ dreams of his had been. And as dense as Sorey may have been about some things, even he knew what this meant. How could he not, with Mikleo leaning in so close, and with his confession of love, and his need for _more?_

Sorey took a breath, his green eyes bright with understanding, and then sympathy and compassion. And also, excitement. For the words Mikleo had spoken were sweet, and sincere, and honest and passionate, qualities Sorey had always admired about the seraph to begin with. And Sorey really, really liked how close Mikleo was to him right at that moment.

"Mikleo," he said simply, his voice soft and tender, and his eyes shining, with a pink blush darkening his cheeks.

"I...I feel the same way," he admitted, leaning in a little. "I love you too. And...I want that too. We can have that. We can have what you want, what you dream about," and he leaned in even closer, until the very tip of his nose was pressing up against Mikleo's, unconsciously reaching out to grab the seraph's hands in his own. "You don't have to be lonely anymore." 

And even he knew what he had to do next. He closed his eyes, tilting his head ever so slightly so he could kiss Mikleo properly. And then he did: Sorey's lips found their place on his love's, warm and reassuring and full of a tenderness that only Mikleo would ever, and could ever, know. It lasted for just a moment, before Sorey pulled back, his green eyes questioning, hoping that his kiss had been alright, and that it had been what the seraph had wanted. 

Mikleo felt something bloom inside of him. It felt almost as if he’d been carrying around a seed all this time, unaware that it could become a flower. But when Sorey kissed him, so softly and with so much tender love, it made Mikleo realize that the flower could become a garden. And that need he’d felt in all of his dreams rose to the surface, powerfully so. Sorey’s lips were so much softer and felt so much better than anything he’d already imagined. And they fit so perfectly together with his own that he wondered how on earth they hadn’t come together sooner. 

Mikleo kept his eyes closed, simply taking in the moment and feeling all that he could as Sorey kissed him. He took in the feel of Sorey against him, took in his scent, and took in the way he gripped his hands. And even though his heart was beating so fast now that it was almost frightening, he took in that too. All of it was wonderful, all of it was perfect. And it released him from a shackle he didn’t even know he wore. 

Sorey eventually pulled back, and they both opened their eyes. And when they did Mikleo found Sorey’s green eyes questioning, and he could nearly read his mind. He was hoping the kiss had been alright, that it had been what he’d wanted. Mikleo didn’t need to answer verbally. His amethyst eyes shined in the dim light offered them in the palace courtyard. And it was clear from the softness on his face, a softness Sorey had never seen on him before, that it was indeed _exactly_ what Mikleo had wanted.

Without a word, Mikleo let that powerful feeling inside of him take over, and he reached out. He wrapped his arms up and around Sorey’s back, gripping him tightly, and then it was Mikleo who came in. Unable to hold back that need he’d described just a second ago, he came in for a second kiss, and his was far more intense than Sorey’s had been. Putting some pressure into it, he pushed in, needing to really feel Sorey against him.

Sorey inhaled sharply, a feeling of sudden passion overtaking him for a moment. Mikleo was kissing him and it was a much different kind of kiss than the one he'd given the seraph. But the shepherd certainly didn't mind. And in a moment, his arms and hands flew into motion, his left arm curling around Mikleo's waist and pulling him closer, while his right hand went up and into his oh-so-silky hair that Sorey had always adored.

He kissed back, putting some pressure and heat into his response, his eyes firmly closed. And then he opened his mouth just the tiniest bit, tilting his head so that the kiss was deeper, even as he kept the seraph flush up against his chest, even as he gently ran his hands through Mikleo's aquamarine locks.

His love wasn't the only one feeling a need, now. And he instinctively knew he needed more, and he needed the seraph close.

Every second was a blessing. And every second was new and exciting; ten thousand times more than stepping into an undiscovered ruin. And there was suddenly so much to explore and learn about the person he thought he already knew everything about, that Mikleo couldn’t help the electricity that suddenly felt as if it were buzzing through his veins. 

He found himself responding to Sorey as he moved, and his body already seemed to know what to do when only a second ago he’d been worried about not knowing how to proceed. Mikleo had never kissed anyone before, and he knew Sorey hadn’t either. But that didn’t seem to matter. It felt so good and they fit together so well that there was never a doubt about how _right_ it all was. And so, when Sorey’s lips parted, so did Mikleo’s. And the new sensation that followed almost took his breath away.

Sorey’s hands were in his hair, his arm around his waist, his chest pressed against his. And Mikleo could feel Sorey’s heart pounding from within him. Although Mikleo had already known he’d been longing, now that he was finally getting what he’d been yearning for, he felt as if he was _starving_. And this…this, what was happening right here with Sorey, the person he loved; he knew this could fill him. Sorey would fill the hole, the hole he never knew he had.

“Sorey…” his voice came between their kisses, and Mikleo was almost shocked by the quality of his own tones. _Was that me just then?_ He wondered in awe. He’d always been rather stoic by nature, not moved by much. Well…not much except for the chocolate haired youth before him. And so it was shocking to hear how much emotion could truly be packed into one solitary word. And hearing how he said his childhood friend’s name made the truth of how much he really loved him all the more real: even more so than his confession only seconds ago. His heart felt like it would burst. And even then, all he could think about was how he wanted more. More of Sorey.

He lifted his hands. They went to either side of the shepherd’s face. Then, with incredible tenderness, yet filled with the same passion they were currently exhibiting, he slid the fingers of his right hand down his cheek and jaw. The other hand moved back into his thick, chocolate locks. Mikleo had always thought Sorey was adorable, sometimes puppy-like, but now, in this moment, he was almost devastatingly handsome. And the seraph wanted to know all about this new Sorey in front of him. 

Mikleo ran a thumb over his brow, glided his white fingertips down the other side of his jaw. And this time he didn’t stop. His hand drifted down his neck, then to his collar where he explored. Then, still kissing heavily and holding onto him tightly, his lifted both hands to the bottom of his dark blue button-up. Driven by the same need he’d been feeling and suppressing for months now, he let it tell him what to do. And that was to pull out Sorey’s shirt from his pants, un-tucking it and letting it hang loose. And from that point, Mikleo knew exactly what he wanted. 

He lifted both hands up and underneath Sorey’s shirt, running both palms up against his abs and to his chest. The skin-on-skin contact was incredible and sent another jolt of electricity through him. And as he started to explore Sorey’s body, a sudden _burning_ desire came over him to have Sorey do the same to him. In fact, he wanted to be touched so badly that a slight almost inaudible groan escaped him.

Everything felt amazing. Everything. Sorey was one hundred percent focused on how _good_ it felt to be with Mikleo like this, and as such, anything the other boy wanted to do to him, he was up for it.

He felt himself lurch forward when the seraph pressed his searching hands up against his chest, eager to have Mikleo explore more of him. And when that moan came out of him...

Sorey responded in like, a thick heated moan escaping his own lips, and he whispered the seraph's name through half-parted lips, as if his name was the most precious thing he could possibly say.

Then his hands went into action, even as they continued their passionate kissing, for he somehow knew what it was that Mikleo was saying to him, even though they weren't speaking with words. Just movement.

Sorey's left hand ducked underneath the back of Mikleo's outer jacket, searching, seeking, until it was underneath the fabric. But that wasn't enough. He wanted more room to explore every inch of the seraph.

Having seen Mikleo change dozens of times prior through half-stolen glances at the inns, he knew how to get the outer jacket off, and luckily for him, Mikleo’s jacket was already unzipped in the front due to his caution against the desert heat. He reached up and with hooded eyes, pushed it off of the seraph's shoulders, and then it slide off of his arms, leaving the seraph enticingly more accessible than before.

Sorey took a second to marvel at just how beautiful that sight was: Mikleo, bare armed, more exposed than he ever was before with him, but then he lurched forward, hungry to feel more underneath his hands. One hand went up the front of the seraph's under shirt, loving the feeling of the lithe muscles right at his fingertips.  
Mikleo was of a different body type than he was, but anyone who'd say he didn't have muscles clearly didn't know what Sorey knew. He could feel them, the hard muscles underneath that velvet-soft skin, and it was almost too much for the shepherd, who let out a lower moan than before, sucking at Mikleo's lower lip while he indulged himself with the seraph's body. And after only a second of this, Sorey let his left hand drift backwards, until it ducked beneath the hemline of his pants, eager to feel as much of Mikleo's perfectly-shaped body as he could.

Mikleo _loved_ having Sorey’s hands on him, perhaps more than he ever knew he could enjoy something before. And that heat and electricity was building up into a storm inside of him. It let him know that somehow, someway, this could actually get _better_ than it currently was. He had no idea how that could be possible, but he also knew that if he just listened to his body and his impulses, he and Sorey would get there together. 

But when his instincts told him what the next step was, and when he felt Sorey’s hand slip beneath the band of his white pants, he forced himself to stop and pull back.

“Wait,” he said, his voice still thick and brimming with lust. And of course, Sorey immediately stopped, pulling back just an inch or two so he could gaze at his love and see what was wrong. Mikleo saw the concern and care in his green eyes, and it only made him love him more.

“We’re out in the open, in a ruin,” he stated blatantly. “And the other’s will be back to check on us eventually.” 

Always the voice of reason in the pairing, Mikleo _almost_ hated himself at the moment. But even so, he knew it would be absolutely crazy and indecent to continue. And he didn’t want his first time with Sorey to be like that. He wanted privacy and he didn’t want _any_ chance of interruption.

Even in the haze his brain was in because of his heightened state of lust, Sorey understood and agreed with his love. He wanted every moment with Mikleo to be perfect, and this just wasn't the time or the place for that.

"You're right," he said nearly breathlessly, pulling his hand away from Mikleo's perfectly-shaped backside and placing it on his waist instead. "We should wait."  
They needed to calm down, yes, but Sorey wasn't ready to completely let go of Mikleo just yet, not after they'd taken such a huge step in their relationship. And as such, he wanted to just let his breathing calm down back to normal, and his heartbeat slowly stop pounding inside his chest, while still close to Mikleo. So he pulled the seraph close and buried his face into Mikleo's hair, inhaling deeply, loving the scent the seraph emanated. Just because they needed to cool down, didn't mean they couldn't still be sweet to each other and enjoy a few more moments of closeness.

And Mikleo _loved_ that Sorey pulled him in close to embrace him as they tried to settle back down. He still wanted to be near him, and being wrapped up in his arms like this was incredibly comforting and fulfilling. 

“Sorey, I-!” But as soon as he went to say something, a loud CRASH was heard from across the courtyard, as if heavy stones had fallen. Both boys looked up to see dust rising into the air from the opposite wall. “What…” But before Mikleo could even ask his question a _huge_ hellion appeared. It was jet back in color and shaped similarly to a scorpion. It had two shield sized pincers in the front, and three tails; each with a curved barb as big as a sword on the end of it. Its six eyes glowed red with seeming rage, and when it turned, spotting the shepherd and seraphim, it reared up and let out a God-awful hiss.

Anyone in their right mind would have been afraid. But Mikleo wasn’t. Instead, a look of absolute fury crossed over the water seraph’s face. His violet eyes flashed, and in a heartbeat he’d stood up to his feet, his cloak hanging from his elbows, his shoulder’s still sporting only his black undershirt.

“Are you kidding me!?” he practically shrieked at the beast as it started to move toward them across the garden. “This was my moment! You hear me? _MY_ moment!”  
The hellion clearly didn’t care about Mikleo’s moment. And instead it’s spindly, pointy legs rattled it forward. It was reaching the spring now and would be upon them in only another thirty seconds or so.

Mikleo, still appearing almost crazed with anger, held out a hand and called his staff to him. It appeared in a flash of blue light. Then, gripping the staff and entering an offensive position, he ran down the few steps before them and to flat, level ground. Then, glancing over his shoulder, he shouted to his partner.

“Sorey! I’ve got a new spell I’ve been working on that will take care of this! I didn’t think I could pull it off before, but now I know I can! It takes a while to cast, so I need you to cover me!”

"Of course!" Sorey shouted in response, quick on his feet and following right behind his love. As dangerous as the hellion might be, the shepherd had a funny feeling that Mikleo, in just a few moments, may prove to be more than the hellion had bargained for when he'd ruined their special moment.

He pulled the ceremonial sword out of its sheath, twirling it expertly with a deft movement of his wrist, and then charged in, blocking an attack from the monstrous scorpion-like creature just a second before it'd attacked him with those giant pincers of his. He kept an eye out for the wicked-looking tails, knowing they could jut out and impale him any second. All the same, Sorey was determined to subdue the creature. As Mikleo prepared to cast, Sorey thrust out with his sword with wicked attacks, using the force of his strong back and shoulders as he maneuvered the blade and dealt some heavy blows to its armored exoskeleton. If the hellion thought they were going to go down easy, it had another thing coming.

Blue light appeared in a circle around Mikleo’s feet as he called forth his holy power. Then, spreading upward, it swirled around him as he prepared. Starting his spell, he kept a careful eye on Sorey. If the shepherd ever fell into trouble while he was casting, he always had the option of abandoning his spell midway through and leaping to his aid. And then of course, there was always the option of armatizing. And so, he wasn’t worried for his love’s safety as he began.

Concentrating, his half worn cloak fluttering behind him, and his white hair billowing in the magic pulsing around him, he recited the words he’d been constructing for the past few months,

“Oh water that runs deep as an abyss,  
On the surface calm and clear as glass,  
Let thy true depths be known.  
Open up to the skies above,  
And beget lightning to strike thee,  
Bringing life and light to a once hidden sea.  
Swirling together, act as one  
And release thine powers combined!  
Smite thine enemies with flashes of light  
And bury them in the sea!”

There was a huge release of power that came from Mikleo’s very core as if he’d unlocked a door. And feeling it well up within him as quickly as a flood, he knew all he had to do was release it. Opening his amethyst eyes wide, he focused on the monster before him and then shouted out his new spells name,

“ELECTRIC WHIRLPOOL!”

There was a huge boom that sounded like thunder that shook the entire courtyard. And directly after it, water sprouted up to life, circling around the huge scorpion hellion before them. And it grew and grew and stretched for the caverns ceiling. Within only a second there was a humungous whirlpool before them, looking very much like a tornado. And as it finally finished being cast, it started to spark with purple bolts of electricity as it spun furiously around its victim. Lightning burst forth from within it, causing the whirlpool to glow from within. They heard the hellion inside shriek and otherworldly shriek, its cries echoing off the cave walls. But even so, Mikleo’s electric whirlpool was still both terrifying and beautiful all at once. A sight to behold, even the whirlpool’s caster stared, his purple eyes wide with wonder.  
_I created that,_ he thought to himself in awe. _I’ve had this much power inside of me all along._

It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. This new seraphic arte of Mikleo's was stunning, and tumultuously powerful, beautiful and deadly all at the same time. And Sorey couldn't help but feel like...it somehow combined the essence of both him and Mikleo. Even the words he'd spoke while casting hinted as such.  
_How did he create this?_ Sorey wondered, awestruck by his love's intelligence and natural magical prowess.

The scorpion-like hellion stood no chance against the power of the whirlpool, and after a few more seconds, it let out a tremendous scream, and began to dissipate in front of their eyes. Sorey waited until he was sure the evil thing was definitely down and purified for good, before he trotted over towards Mikleo.

Eyes wide, and with an awestruck look plastered all over his face, Sorey couldn't help but praise the other young man,

"That was incredible," he stated, wrapping his arms around the seraph's waist as he chuckled good-naturedly. "You really were mad he interrupted us. I would _not_ want to be on your bad side," he teased, his cheeks rosy and eyes full of warmth and delight for Mikleo.

Mikleo grinned, his usual self-confidence rising back up. 

“No, you _wouldn’t_ want to be on my bad side,” he teased, lifting a finger to poke Sorey in his chest. “And there’s more where that came from, so don’t do anything stupid Sorey.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Sorey cried indignantly. But Mikleo was of course just teasing, and so he immediately started to laugh. But his laughter didn’t last long when there was a whistle heard from the entrance to the courtyard. And when both Sorey and Mikleo turned, they found their traveling companions standing in the open doorway. And judging from their stunned faces, they had seen Mikleo’s newest spell.

“Woooow!” Zaveid whistled a second time. “That was some display of power!”

Lailah, appearing worried, took a hesitant step forward.

“We came as soon as we sensed the presence of a hellion. But by the time we got here, you two were already dispatching it. Are you both alright?”

The three hurried over to group back up with the other two. And as they neared, Mikleo smiled and nodded.

“Yes, we’re fine,” he responded. But Lailah didn’t appear so sure as she came over to them.

“Are you certain?” she asked, her turquoise eyes shifting to their hair and clothes. “You look like you’ve been roughed up!”

“I…oh…” Mikleo’s sentence trailed off as he suddenly realized just how it was he and Sorey looked. And as he looked from Sorey to himself, a rosy color came to his cheeks. 

“Oh?” Lailah questioned. But Zaveid was quick to catch on. His eyes grew wide and a spark of delighted excitement quickly came over his face. 

“Oh!” he exclaimed in contrast to Lailah. “What’s this? What’s _this_!” he cried. And like some sort of overzealous fan, he ran over to the two, buzzing around them as he inspected their appearance. “Messed up hair? Untucked shirt? Revealed shoulders? Cloak halfway off?” Standing back up straight and tall, he looked at everyone in the group.

“This can only mean one thing!” 

“Don’t…” Mikleo groaned.

“Sorey and Mikleo have finally hooked up!”

Mikleo groaned, putting a hand to his face. But even as he tried to hide his embarrassment, Lailah’s face lit up with delight.

“Oh, is this true?” she cried, looking quite pleased indeed. “Mikleo, have you finally confessed?”

“Yes…” Mikleo groaned. “But if I _hadn’t_ Sorey would know _now_.”

Lailah giggled, clasping her hands together in glee. It was clear to everyone there that he had already confessed, or Lailah wouldn’t have asked.

Feeling a little embarrassed thanks to Zaveid's inspection, Sorey couldn't help but blush. But he was happy that his friends supported them, and was sure to say as much.

"Your support is wonderful," Sorey said, running a gloved hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was. "Thanks, you guys," he said appreciatively, meaning every word. He didn't miss how Lailah seemed to have been waiting for them to finally get together, as if she'd known about it for some time...which made sense. Anyone should've been able to see it coming, and she'd been with them the longest out of everyone. Even Zaveid had caught on to their feelings for each other at some point, and he wasn't always the most observant of people. Not that Sorey could say anything about that, since he was just as bad, if not worse, in that aspect as the wind seraph.

"And also for giving us some time for this," he stated. "I didn't understand at first why you'd left us alone in here, but I get it now. Thanks." And Sorey was all smiles. And not once did he deny what they'd very clearly been doing while the other three members of their group had been exploring.

 _I did some exploring too,_ he thought, feeling pretty proud of himself. It had been perfect, up until the hellion anyway. But even that had been sort of great, because he'd gotten to see Mikleo's powerful new spell. Had he been unable to unleash it until they'd...confessed how they felt about each other? Maybe that was an overly romantic thought to have, but Sorey was sweet like that. And that's what he wanted to believe: that their coming together had created something beautiful and powerful in Mikleo. And he couldn't wait to see it be used again.

“He finally get’s it,” Mikleo parroted. “I had to spell it out for him in black and white though.” 

Lailah giggled, “That’s our Sorey!”

Mikleo pulled his blue coat back up and onto his shoulders. Briskly, he straightened his collar. Then he quickly and efficiently zipped himself back up. Lifting his hands, he fixed his hair. And unlike Sorey, he now looked impeccable; as pristine as ever. 

Edna stuck out her lower lip as she watched him fix himself. 

“Boo…don’t bottle yourself back up Stiffleo. It was the release of all those buried emotions of yours that made you so powerful just now. And really…we need that on our side.” Mikleo was a little surprised by it. It was perhaps one of the nicest things she’d ever said to him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to,” he responded. “I don’t want to be bottled up anymore. Things are going to be a little different from here on out.”

And almost as if to prove a point, he stepped forward and over to Sorey. Seeing his messed hair, he unhesitantly reached out his hands and started to straighten it for him.

“You’ve made a mess of it,” he almost scolded. Lailah giggled, but Edna let out a long heavy sigh.

“God. Is this mushy-pukey-ness the trade off for a more powerful team member? Because if it is, I might vote for the old weakleo back.”

“I wasn’t weak before,” Mikleo replied calmly. “And yes, this is the trade off. I never would have figured out that spell without Sorey’s influence.”

“Ahhh! So that spell _was_ born of _looove_!” Zaveid sang.

“Don’t be a toddler,” Mikleo said coolly. But he didn’t deny it, and after fixing up Sorey’s hair, he turned and faced the others unperturbed. “But if you’d said it in a more mature way, then yes. It’s a combination of Sorey’s power with my own. And before today…I didn’t know how to unleash it.” 

Sorey knew well enough to stay perfectly still while Mikleo was fixing his hair. He was the one that always fixed Sorey's hair. Mikleo gave his chocolate locks the best trims, and he always styled it just right. As such, there was no way he'd ruin the moment by fidgeting, even if he sort of wanted to. The seraph's hands in his hair felt good, as always, but Sorey couldn't help but think about how different his touch had been less than fifteen minutes ago, back when it was just them in the gardens. And suddenly, Sorey wondered what exactly would change? And when could he be alone with the seraph again?

He was pulled out of those thoughts when Mikleo confirmed that the spell had been born out of love, just like he'd thought previously. As such, he smiled sweetly, even as he listened to everyone's comments about their newfound togetherness with each other.

"When you'd said you were going to try a new spell, I didn't know it would be something so powerful," he said, cherishing every second of contact with his shorter companion. "And it used my influence...I guess that would be the lightning part," he said, stating the obvious. He thought it was funny, the way his more powerful moves used the element he associated with Gramps. He wondered if their guardian would be proud of them...but as soon as he thought it, he knew he would be. Gramps had always supported them. This new level of their relationship would be supported by him too, Sorey was sure of that.

“Duh,” Mikleo smirked. “And honestly, I didn’t know it was going to be that powerful either.”

“No one’s prepared for the power of _looo_ -!”

Edna promptly hit Zaveid with her umbrella.

“Ow!”

“Ok, knock it off love master.”

“So…anyway,” Mikleo stressed. “We should finish exploring what we’re able to and then head back to Lowgrin before the sun sets. Then tomorrow we should find the source of the malevolence in this area. I think we all are already betting on that powerful monster we heard about from the locals that’s supposedly roaming around the abandoned village of Horsa out in the desert.” Turning, Mikleo fixed his purple eyes on Sorey. “Does that sound like a good plan to you?” 

Sorey nodded, humming in agreement. "Yes. That sounds like a good plan. As exciting and as wonderful as the ruins are, I _am_ eager to find the hellion and quell it. The people in this area have enough to worry about as it is; they don't need the extra pressure of whatever it is that's out there," he said, a spark of seriousness more prevalent in his eyes now that they were talking about future plans.

"So!" And he flashed everyone a bright grin. "Let's go!" And with a laugh, the shepherd started to exit the garden area, pausing just ever so briefly to look back at the place where he and Mikleo had been on the steps, then continued out the large double doors.


	10. Chapter 10: A Night of Terror

** Chapter 10 **

A Night of Terror

They had a full day exploring the caverns, the underground city, and of course the rest of the palace. The team ran across a few minor hellions, but nothing serious and nothing of any real danger came their way. Sorey and Mikleo spent a lot of time geeking out and talking about history, or arguing over the nuances of the artifacts they found. Sometimes they’d flip open The Celestial Record and compare notes in it to the things they saw.

“No, I’m telling you, you’ve never known how to read a map correctly Sorey. North is that way. And if that’s true than this column of limestone here is the formation known as dragon rock.”

“How do you even know that’s north? We’re in a cave!”

“Because of the landmarks around us in relation to the map. Here look, hold it this way.” Mikleo stepped up beside him. Moving in close, he reached his arm around the shepherd’s back. Then, putting both hands over Sorey’s, he turned the map for him.

“There, see?” Still keeping a gentle hold on Sorey’s left hand, he pointed at the map with his right. “Now doesn’t it look more like the drawing on page seventy-eight?”

While they had touched a lot of times before, something about Mikleo's closeness right then and there was...different. Now that they were a couple, everything felt better, warmer, and deeper than before. And Sorey could relax into his touch, even when he was busy trying to figure out what on earth Mikleo was talking about.  
Sorey peered at the map, looking genuinely dubious as to the spot Mikleo was pointing at, then looked at the area around them, but then... A hot blush reached up to the tips of his ears, past his ear cuffs, and he took in a short breath.

"O-Oh..." he said, embarrassed. "I, um, I see it now. You're right," and he exhaled, leaning back ever so slightly into Mikleo, loving the fact that the seraph's left hand still covered his own. "You're right, and I...well, wasn't." He at least always had the dignity to admit when he was wrong. 

Mikleo smiled. As always, Sorey was adorable. And he was especially so at the moment with his red ears and cheeks and humble expression on his face.

“And that’s why you should listen to me more often.” Already incredibly near to Sorey, it was easy to lean in and plant a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Doofus,” he whispered in his ear. Unable to help but tease, Mikleo also found it was impossible not to play a little too. And so, as soon as he kissed him, he then took his hand and pinched him in his side, making the shepherd let out a loud yelp. But just as Sorey turned to retaliate, Mikleo pranced away as gracefully as a deer. 

Laughing, he finally got his game of chase that he had so longed for that morning at the breakfast table. And as he ducked behind a stalagmite, he reveled in the thrill he felt at making Sorey run after him. Glancing back and pausing briefly to make sure Sorey was coming behind him, it was clear to everyone there that the game would have been no fun at all if Sorey didn’t take the bait.

Edna sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m telling you, the price is _waaay_ too steep. Nothing can be worth this sappiness.”

“Shush shush!” Lailah waved her hand at the earth seraph. “They’re _sooo_ cute in their new, young love. Look at them play!”

Zaveid chuckled. 

“We’ll have to give them some extra alone time later on, if you know what I mean.” And then he waggled his eyebrows, a very distinct grin on his face.

“Ugh! Gross!” Edna cried again. “Do we _have_ to talk about it out loud?!”

Sorey was absolutely delighted. He _loved_ playing chase with Mikleo, and that sense was only heightened since they hadn't been able to play like this earlier on at the inn.

Oblivious to the dirty comment Zaveid had just made, Sorey kept himself occupied by dashing over to one side of the stalagmite, and reaching out for Mikleo to nab him and tickle him, but the seraph was too swift for him. Mikleo gracefully leapt away, and Sorey was content to chase him.

"Hey! You get back here!" he play-demanded, knowing fully good and well that the seraph would never comply.

That's what made the game so much fun.

Chuckling, and feeling lighter than he had in ages, Sorey thanked the heavens and everything in them that he had the opportunity to let off some steam like this. As glad as he was to be the shepherd, so he could help others, he couldn't deny that sometimes it got difficult keeping himself calm and worry-free. But if they could have moments like this...Sorey knew they'd all be alright.

Mikleo laughed outright at Sorey’s demand.

“Make me!” He at first ran around the large stalagmite, forcing Sorey to run in a circle around it after him. But then of course Sorey wised up and stopped running, causing Mikleo to almost run into him on his own as he came around. Sorey reached out both arms to grab him, but Mikleo once again performed some evasive moves and leapt away backward.

“Missed me!” He grinned smugly, and teasing mercilessly, he then came forward, poked Sorey in his side, and then leapt off and away all over again. His laughter filled the cavern.

“Oh my God they’re like babies,” Edna groaned. 

“But Edna, they practically _are_ ,” Lailah defended. “Mikleo’s only eighteen and Sorey seventeen. And eighteen for a seraph is practically nothing. You, Zaveid and myself are hundreds or even thousands of years old depending on which one of us we’re discussing. You probably can’t even remember being that young.”

Edna paused to actually think about it, and eventually she conceded.

“You’re right, I can’t,” she said. “And you’re also probably right about this being normal behavior then for ones so young.”

“All we can do is look after them. Youth is precious.” 

Across the cavern, Mikleo and Sorey were running down the path getting quite ahead of their friends. And Mikleo still enjoying himself immensely, found a bottleneck area in the passageway ahead. Immediately getting an idea, he waited until he passed through the narrowing. Then he suddenly stopped, spun around and raised both hands. 

“Bubble Blast!” Immediately, he created a wall of bubbles that rose up, covering the entire area Sorey would have to run through. And with Sorey right on his heels, there was no way for him to avoid it in time.

The spell, which was so simple it didn’t need an incantation, was the first spell Mikleo had ever learned. It was how he had discovered he was a water seraph. And it had almost been exclusively used as a prank against his childhood friend. Sorey had countless memories of getting a face full of bubbles, or bubbles overcoming the stream he was swimming in until he was buried, or even sticking his feet in his shoes to discover them full of bubbles. It had been Mikleo’s earliest form of flirting, in the same sense that a boy might pull the pigtails of a girl he likes. And going back to basics now, seemed somehow perfect.

Sorey gleefully chased after Mikleo, hot on his heels. It had been some time since the water seraph had used Bubble Blast against him. As such, he had no preparation for what was about to happen.

Running as fast as he could, the shepherd heard him shout out the spells name, but there was no time to avoid it. And with that, Sorey plastered right into a wall of big, wet bubbles.

"Blagh!" he cried, taking a couple of steps back, the bubbles creeping up his nose and wetting his chocolate colored locks. Flailing his arms, trying to get as many away from him as possible, Sorey must have looked ridiculous.

"Hey! No fair!" he complained, knowing fully good and well it was perfectly fair. Mikleo would always use whatever he could to one-up Sorey. That was just a fact. And despite his protests, the green-eyed youth loved it when the seraph pulled a fast one on him. He just had to keep up appearances, that was all.

Mikleo’s laughter rose up much like the bubbles themselves. He stood just after the bubble wall, no longer turning to run since it was much more fun to watch Sorey flail his arms and see the bubbles get stuck to his hair and clothes too. Swinging his hands in arcs, Sorey of course soon popped most of the bubbles, even if it meant getting his clothes a little damp. Passing through the foamy curtain, he came out on the other side, finally meeting Mikleo face to face.

Mikleo hesitated briefly, looking like he was torn about whether to run again or not, but that half second of indecision was all Sorey needed. Lashing out, he grabbed Mikleo by his upper arms, gripping him tightly, just before he turned to run again.

“Gotchya!” He cried. But Mikleo’s mischievous grin said otherwise.

“Do you now?” And before Sorey could know what he was thinking, Mikleo pursed his lips as if about to whistle. Then with a brisk blow, a stream of bubbles came out of his mouth and straight into Sorey’s face. Mikleo started laughing all over again, his violet eyes squinting shut in delight.

“That’s the oldest trick I know!” He said between laughter. “And you fall for it every time!”

"Gaah!" Sorey exclaimed, releasing his grip on the water seraph in a desperate attempt to get the bubbles out of his face.

"That's because I - " and he wiped a bubble off of his cheek. "I never think there's _any_ way you'd do it to me again," he fake-whined. "You know I hate that!"

“No you don’t,” Mikleo argued as his laughter finally started to settle down. He waited patiently a moment while Sorey cleaned up his face. Then, once he could see again he said,

“Why’d you let me go? I might run again.” 

"..." Sorey wiped the last bubble off of his forehead, and smiled at the water seraph.

"Because," he stated, then reached out and grabbed Mikleo around the waist. "I thought you might want to be caught," he said, before pulling the seraph up against him and kissed him on the cheek. Then, and only then, did he retaliate and poke him back in the ribs.

Mikleo flinched when poked and instinctively pulled back. But he didn’t run again. It was like Sorey had claimed: he’d wanted to be caught. And since he knew he was so much more nimble and swift than his human counterpart, the only time Sorey ever caught him in tag or a game of chase was when he let him. And so, Mikleo had to admit,

“Maybe I did,” he said. “But not for a poke in the ribs.” 

He and Sorey exchanged a meaningful look for just a second. But that was when they heard footsteps come running down the pathway.

“Hey you guys!” Came the call from back down the cavern. “Slow down will you! Some of us aren’t as young and spry as you!”

“Speak for yourself you old man!”

“Old man!? Ouch!”

Mikleo smiled Sorey’s way, putting a hand on his hip.

“Next time then?”

The team was forced to end their exploring since the day was getting late. Exiting out of the caverns, they ventured out into the dying sun of late afternoon. Luckily, for a certain heat-sensitive seraphim, this meant the day was already greatly cooler than it had been that morning. And so, traveling back to Lowgrin was easy and didn’t take them as long. They reached the walls only a few minutes after dark. 

Sorey, of course, was starving, so they all headed to the dining tent before doing anything else. Relaxing over a table of food and drinks felt wonderful and it was exactly what they all needed. Joking, laughing, and filling their bellies, the shepherd and his team rejuvenated their spirits before facing the next day, which they all knew would be based on getting back down to business.

Afterward, they all headed back over to the inn. And as they all changed and took part in their nightly routines, Mikleo felt a huge sense of relief wash over him. Now that he’d made everything so clear to Sorey, and now that everything had been spoken about out in the open, there was no reason to sleep alone. And sleeping next to Sorey had become so natural and habitual that the one night without him before had been almost painful. But now they could go back to what they had been doing before.

Once in his night clothes, and once Sorey was in his, Mikleo didn’t even hesitate; he walked right over to the last bed where Sorey had slept the night before. And before anyone else had even laid down, he crawled in, pulling the covers up to his hips.

“Uhh…what are you doing?” Edna asked as she removed her hair band. Mikleo sighed, already frustrated at the simple question.

“What does it look like?” 

“Well it _looks_ like your crawling into your new boyfriend’s bed on the first night.”

Mikleo sighed all over again.

“Edna please, we’ve been sharing the same bed this entire trip. Why should it matter now?”

“Because before you were just friends and there were never enough beds for someone NOT to share. And I was usually in the second room. And now you’re dating.”

“Geeze, Edna do you even hear yourself? All we’re doing is sharing a bed. You know, for _sleeping._ You have nothing to worry about.” He let out a dissatisfied grumble. “Like we’d do anything in a tent full of other people. Ridiculous.” He rolled over onto his side so that his back was to the earth seraph. But this didn’t seem satisfactory enough, for then he barked out,

“And for your information, Sorey and I have _never_ been _just_ friends!”

From across the room it was Zaveid that let out a perverted guffaw.

Sorey sat down on his side of the bed too, looking at the others as he spoke.

"He's right. We never have been just friends," he agreed. "We've had feelings for each other since...well, forever. I...don't remember a time when we didn’t. And he's right about another thing," and Sorey pouted, looking directly to Edna then.

"We're using the bed for sleep. Nothing more. And with everyone else here, I would never..." But he didn't finish his sentence, he just frowned some more, and then swung his own legs over the bed and under the covers.

"Anyway. Goodnight, guys. We'll see you in the morning." And that was that. Sorey wasn't going to let anyone keep him from curling up with Mikleo. There was nothing perverted or gross or weird about it. This was exactly where he belonged, and he felt that way as soon as his head hit the pillow. Mikleo was right there. He could feel him, smell him, see him. And the weight of another person in the bed with him was reassuring, so much more than it had been last night. And so Sorey took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

"They'll get used to it," he whispered to Mikleo. "And I will do my best to not steal the covers," he teased with a smile.

No matter what kind of a mood Mikleo was in, he had to smile when Sorey was nearby. And he especially had to do so after he said something like that to him. Besides, they were laying side by side, and Sorey’s green eyes were looking at him, and that always brought him a feeling of home, comfort and safety.  
“If you do, I’ll freeze you with my ice feet,” he playfully threatened. 

The other three settled into their beds too and someone blew out the lanterns. And as soon as it was dark and Mikleo knew no one could see them that well, he scooched in closer. Sleeping the way they always had, he rested his head of snow-white hair right in that place where Sorey’s shoulder met his neck. Sorey’s scent was always strongest here, and his unique aroma was soothing. Mikleo also took the liberty of resting an arm on top of his chest. And as soon as he did, he sighed with contentment. 

Sorey was warm, his heart beat rhythmically from within his chest, and he smelt as human as always. There was no way Mikleo _couldn’t_ feel good. He felt himself starting to drift off in an instant. But before he did, he made sure to whisper,

“Don’t forget…I told you I love you.” 

He'd been near half asleep himself when Mikleo said that. And Sorey smiled, knowing exactly what he needed to say in response.

Very quietly, in a whisper to match the seraph's, the shepherd responded in like, 

"I love you too Mikleo. And I don't think I can ever forget that." And he nuzzled his face into his love's oh-so-silky hair, inhaling the seraph's own unique scent, feeling more content and more at peace then he could remember in a long time.

Today had been a good day. And that night, he knew, would be a good one too. He'd chase away Mikleo's nightmares. There wouldn't be any more now that he was there with him, now that they had each other. And if for some reason the seraph did have one, Sorey would be there to hold him and comfort him. Now that he knew what was going on with his love, he could do that. He'd do anything for Mikleo.

And it was with those thoughts that Sorey drifted off to sleep, feeling warm and happy, and cozy and loved, the best things anyone could feel while drifting off into dreamland.

The night was still and silent. The sky outside deep and purple, there were only a few stars peeking out in between a rare spotted covering of clouds. All the residence of Lowgrin were asleep in their own tents, not a soul left to stir in the darkness. Even the inn keeper had gone to bed long ago. 

The shepherd and his crew were peaceful in their slumber. And like the night before, and for many nights before that, ever since Glaivend Basin, Mikleo seemed perfectly content for the first few hours of the evening. In fact, he was so happy, that even in his sleep a small smile was on his face, his arm still lain casually over Sorey’s chest. 

But then a shadow appeared, and it moved slowly and purposefully around the outside of the tent. It moved until it came to the end, where the shepherd’s bed rested, and then it stopped. For just a second or two, everything was still, but then a very faint purple light swirled just in front of the shadow. 

Lailah stirred, but before she was roused by the sense of malevolence, the purple light faded away and was ended, but not before Mikleo’s pale brow began to furrow in his sleep. The shadow outside the tent then quickly moved away, vanishing from whence it came. 

Inside the tent, Mikleo’s face contorted. His lips twisted into a grimace, and he immediately became restless. His muscles tightening, he fidgeted in his sleep. The hand on top of Sorey’s chest twitched, and a second later, the water seraph let out a quiet, almost inaudible groan. His heart picking up pace from within his chest, he broke out into a rare sweat. And as the minutes ticked by, he seemed to only become more and more distressed. 

His face twisted, and his groans became louder. And his twitching became more of a spasm as he clearly went through something horrible in his dreams. And as it all intensified, his groans became words,

“…n…no…no…Sorey…” he mumbled. And then, alarmingly, tears started to leak out from the corners of his eyes. “…I…m…right here. D…don’t…don’t!”  
His voice was getting louder now. And even as Sorey and a few of the others started to stir at it, it grew more extreme. And if they weren’t waking up before, they certainly were now, for Mikleo suddenly let out a gasp, and then started to thrash and scream from within his bed.

“No…NO…NOOO!!!” He shrieked. It would have been loud enough to wake up all of Lowgrin if anyone else had been able to hear him except his friends. But as it was, no one made a peep outside, even as all three seraphim plus a shepherd sat up in their beds in shock.

“What the hell?!” Edna cried throwing her hands over her ears. 

“He’s having another nightmare!” Zaveid shouted.

Edna gaped, “More like a night terror!”

“What? But how?” Lailah exclaimed “We’ve confronted his fears about the malevolence and confessing to Sorey!” 

But Mikleo still wasn’t awake, even with his friends shouting, and as his nightmare sunk its claws deeply into him, he let out another heart wrenching scream, his face twisting and warping in anguish.

“SOREY! SOREY! SOREY!”

Sorey, his heart pounding in his chest at the sight of his tortured boyfriend, didn't know what else to do but pull Mikleo closer to him, then tried to get the seraph to wake up and open his eyes.

"I'm right here! Mikleo!" Sorey shouted, turning his love's face towards his own, desperate to try and wake the terrified seraph up from his nightmare. "I'm right here!" he repeated, shaking him by the shoulders firmly. "I'm right here with you! It's okay!"

 _Oh god,_ Sorey thought. _I know exactly what this is about. It's just like the battle at the Basin._ And knowing what his love was dreaming about was heart wrenching. Their conversation in the ruins had, after all, been more than just a confession of love. He'd told Sorey the truth about what was bothering him. And now, the only thing Sorey could do was keep Mikleo close, and repeat himself, trying to wake him from the horrors that plagued the seraph's subconscious.

A firm shaking seemed to be the thing Mikleo needed. For as soon as he was grabbed and jostled, he woke up with a terrible gasp, his purple eyes flying open in terror. For a second, he seemed wild and confused, but Sorey was holding him with a firm grip, and so luckily Sorey was the first thing he saw.

Mikleo gaped up at his love, his usually calm and stoic face now harrowed and full of fear. Gasping for breath, it took him several seconds to even register that he was awake. His eyes still huge, he fixated them on the shepherd.

“Y-you…y-you’re…you’re looking at me…” he stuttered, his voice quaking. And then, as soon as he said it Sorey watched in horror as the seraphim’s face twisted and the glimmering of even more tears filled his eyes. And then, Mikleo threw himself forward, allowing himself to collapse into Sorey’s chest. Lifting his arms, he wrapped them tightly around his love, squeezing him in a frightfully desperate way. And then, against the pride the others knew he had, he started to openly cry. 

Sorey was dumbfounded, and so worried he didn't know what else to do but to wrap his own arms around Mikleo, holding him tight against his torso.  
"Shhh, it's okay," Sorey said softly, trying to stave off his own tears. Seeing Mikleo like this, who was normally so in control and held together, was heart wrenchingly painful. He lifted a hand to stroke the back of Mikleo's head in a calming manner, or at least what he hoped was a calming manner. Then he just rocked the seraph a little bit, helping him get readjusted. 

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. I'm here, I've been here the whole time. It's okay," he reassured, hoping that those words would do the trick. If he knew that Sorey could've seen him the whole time, then...then maybe that would help.

He shot Lailah a worried glance, wordlessly trying to express how confused he was feeling. Wasn't this a worse nightmare than the others? None of the other ones had been this bad. Then...why tonight? Sorey didn't understand.

Lailah met the shepherd’s eyes, and her own expression was also filled with worry. Nightmares every now and then was one thing, but Mikleo’s had been every night since the battle, and they seemed to be growing increasingly intense. And what made even less sense was this evening. Mikleo had opened himself up and had spoken not only to Sorey about his fears, but to Lailah too. That was a lot for the usually very private water seraph. And with his confession to Sorey that day, his boost in confidence and magical ability, his new spell, and how happy he’d been, a nightmare like this made little sense. Especially for a seraph.

Seraphim had the natural ability to ward off malevolence, which was the usual cause of nightmares. Most seraphim never experienced nightmares, and when they did, it was rare and a result of their own natural fear. Mikleo, a normally well put together individual, should not have been having them to this degree. Something was wrong.

Lailah frowned, her worried expression becoming something harsher. She was starting to get a distinct feeling that something else was going on, something other than Mikleo’s natural fears. She’d thought she’d felt a brief, weak, fleeting bit of malevolence in her sleep the past several nights. She’d chalked it up to the bad dreams, or the evils that could take place outside their tent or inn. But now she wondered.

She shifted her turquoise eyes to the sobbing seraph in Sorey’s arms. With one glance she knew the discussion would need to wait until the morning. For now, what Mikleo needed was to be comforted and a moment to calm back down. He didn’t need Lailah introducing new fears. At least not right now.

“Come on,” Lailah said calmly to the other two seraphim in the room. “Let’s give him a few moments.” Zaveid and Edna were openly staring, and Lailah knew Mikleo didn’t need that either. The three wordlessly turned away from the scene and ducked out into the desert night.

Alone in the tent now, Mikleo seemed to hold onto Sorey even more tightly. He trembled terribly in his arms, and his tears soaked into his clothes.

Sorey flashed Lailah a grateful glance, then refocused on his Mikleo. Shudders wracked his lithe body, and Sorey did the best he could to quell whatever fears lingered in the water seraph's mind. His hands gently rubbed across Mikleo's back, moving in slow circles, as he continued to rock him back and forth.  
"It's okay," he repeated softly, the sweetness of his voice stronger now that they didn't have prying eyes.

"I've got you, and I'll hold you for as long as you need. So let it out. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." Maybe that's what he needed, Sorey mused. Maybe he needed to know it was okay to be scared for a while. Sorey tried to give off as much calming and gentle energy as possible, and just focused on being as soft and as sweet as he could be for his trembling love. 

But it was hard not to be frightened by Mikleo’s condition. Sorey wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen him so frightened, and the twisted look on his usually sweet face pierced his heart. His fresh water tears didn’t seem to be stopping, and he held onto Sorey so tightly that his fingers almost hurt as they dug into his back. Shivering in the shepherd’s arms, he seemed as if he was just too terrified to let him go.


	11. Chapter 11: Cruel

** Chapter 11 **

Cruel

Eventually, Mikleo calmed back down. After a few moments, he dried his eyes. But he didn’t talk about his dream, and Sorey didn’t want to push him, so he didn’t ask about it. Instead, they spent just a little time being sweet to one another. Mikleo eventually fetched a cloth out of their bag, then using his own water, he washed his face. Fixing himself up, he once again, as usual, was somehow able to make himself look as pristine and stoic as always.

The others eventually came back in. Worried, they asked if he was alright and per his character, Mikleo coolly responded that he was fine and not to fuss.  
Everyone knew better by then. But like Sorey, they decided not to push. It was late at night, they were all tired, and Mikleo was already laying back down in bed, making it clear that at least for the moment, he wasn’t open for discussion. 

They turned the lanterns back out, and all of them climbed back into bed. This included Sorey. And once Sorey was beside him yet again, Mikleo wasn’t shy about reaching out his arms and wrapping them tightly around him. Gripping the shepherd in the dark where no one else could see, he buried his face in his neck. The relaxed, happy state he was in a few hours ago was long gone. And now, he clung to Sorey like frost to a leaf, digging his fingers into his shirt. 

He didn’t say it, because he’d been embarrassed enough that evening, but he needed to hold onto him, and be held, so that he knew he was real. If Sorey lost his resonance, his arms would have gone straight through him as if he were a ghost. 

Sorey seemed to sense this, and so, also without words, he wrapped the water seraph up tight. And he didn’t let him go.

Eventually morning came. The sun rose, chasing the shadows out from the corners of their hiding places around Lowgrin. It was still early yet, so the heat of the desert day wasn’t upon them. But still, as everyone started to stir in their bed, even from within the tent they could feel the sun drying the world around them.

Yawning and stretching, they started to rise. And today, for the first time in a while, no one had to wait on Mikleo. He was awake because he’d never fallen back into a decent sleep. And so, when the others started moving around, he was roused from his very shallow state of rest. He got up with them, as did Sorey. And from there, the group began to get dressed in an odd, almost foreboding silence. Their usual conversation wasn’t had. Zaveid didn’t start flirting with Lailah, and Edna for once didn’t pick or bicker with Mikleo. And Sorey, in all his usual puppy-like joy, wasn’t humming a song, or talking about the exciting day they had in front of them.  
It was an odd feeling. And no one liked it.

Once fully dressed, and after Sorey took care of his morning maintenance, they all headed to the dining tent together. They sat at their usual table, and ordered their usual food. Still they stayed quiet until their drinks arrived. But then, finally, as they were waiting for their food to be cooked, it was Mikleo that broke the awkward silence.

“I’m sorry for waking everyone last night,” he said, his purple eyes glancing off and to the side.

“That’s ok,” Lailah quickly responded. “It wasn’t your fault.”

More silence. Edna squirmed in her seat from the discomfort. 

“So what’s the plan?” she asked. “We’re all thinking the same thing, aren’t we? That it’s a little strange Meebo is having bad dreams?”

“Yes, it is strange,” Lailah concurred. “Especially since he’s such a good-natured, pure-hearted seraphim.” And she smiled a little Mikleo’s way as she delivered the compliments. But Mikleo didn’t respond and didn’t seem lifted by the praise. Lailah’s smile faded. 

“Mikleo, I know you told me these nightmares started right after Glaivend Basin, but before that, have you ever had nightmares before?”

“No,” he responded quickly. “Never. In fact, I remember a time when Sorey was having them when we were younger, and I was frustrated because I couldn’t relate. Gramp’s had told me that seraphim very rarely experience a nightmare because of our holy nature, and because we were inside of his blessed domain, there was no influence of malevolence from the outside. And really, I had such a happy life there that there was never a reason for me to have one. But even after Sorey and I left Elysia and started our journey, I didn’t have any then either. And at that point, we were experiencing plenty of frightening things.”

“Hmm…that’s what I thought,” Lailah said. And as Mikleo gave her the answer she suspected, a grave expression that no one liked overcame her face. 

Sorey didn't like the way Lailah's expression changed. Even without speaking any words out loud, that alone said many troublesome things for Sorey.

Frowning, he stayed silent for a second, thinking. "Well then...what could have happened to cause them?" he asked out loud, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning forward in his chair. "Could Heldalf have done something to you at the Basin?" he asked. But even as he said that...why would their enemy choose Mikleo to torment over the others? Was it...was it because...

Sorey's eyes turned dark. What if he'd singled out Mikleo because he knew that would be an easy way to get to him?

He didn't like that train of thought. And so he definitely didn't voice it. Instead, he completely chose a different theory to go with. And he ran with it.  
"Or maybe you came in contact with something that no one else did," he offered, not even sure if that was plausible or not. But it beat the alternative.

“No,” Lailah said softly. “I’m afraid I’m suspicious that someone is doing this to Mikleo quite on purpose. I’ve sensed a bit of malevolence in my sleep for the past several nights in a row. But I hadn’t been certain because out here in the world there’s boughts of malevolence everywhere. That and I was asleep. But with the severity of Mikleo’s dream last night, I’m feeling more certain. The extremity of it was outside of Mikleo’s nature.” 

And there was the truth of it. Everyone had been leaning in that direction, but Lailah said it first.

“But why?” Mikleo asked, and Sorey would notice immediately that the water seraph didn’t deny Lailah’s words at all. “It’s a strange way to attack our group, don’t you think? I mean, what purpose could Heldalf and his goonies have to give me a few bad dreams? I mean, it’s not really hurting us or getting in our way. We’re still going to go purify hellions and try to track down and stop Heldalf once we’re ready.”

Lailah was quiet for a moment, the way she usually got when about to deliver difficult news. She glanced to Sorey, then looked back to Mikleo.

“Even before you confessed to Sorey, it was clear to even complete strangers the level of care you and Sorey have for one another. Heldalf must have seen it too. And he’s probably trying to use you as a tool to weaken Sorey.”

A grimace overtook Mikleo’s face, and he quickly turned his head and glanced away and to the side. It was clear enough from his expression that such an idea was painful for him.

It was just as he feared. Sorey closed his eyes and tucked his chin to his chest.

"He wants to hurt me by hurting you," Sorey said, not denying Lailah's theory either. After all, it's exactly what he'd been thinking himself, and it made too much sense to dismiss or ignore.

Anger started to well up inside of him. He hated what Heldalf had done, and how badly he'd hurt his love in the process of trying to get to him. But Sorey knew he couldn't let those negative emotions fester. That was exactly...exactly what Heldalf wanted.

Even so, he clenched his fists together, and controlled his breathing.

"Well," he said, trying to remain calm. "I won't let him get what he wants. And we have to figure out a way to keep it from happening again. I won't give in to the malevolence, like I know he wants me to. But at the same time, we can't let this continue," Sorey stated. 

"Mikleo, I'm so sorry," he stated, seeing the way the seraph had grimaced and turned his head to the side. But of course, Mikleo would never allow Sorey to take blame for something he hadn’t done.

“Don’t apologize,” he said. “None of this was your fault. Please don’t take any blame…” Sorey, still seeing how pained his love was, reached out to place a gentle hand on the water seraph's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. 

"Now that we know these nightmares are purposeful and deliberate, we can find a way to keep the nightmares away." He told him, and then he took in a deep breath, green eyes becoming more focused as he tried to think over options.

"How do you think they're doing it? You said you felt malevolence nearby, right? Do you think something appears nearby, or...?" he asked, looking to the fire seraph for her opinion.

“I’m not sure,” Lailah admitted. “As I said, I’ve been asleep every time this has occurred.”

Zaveid laid a casual arm on the table top as he leaned in to face the group.

“Seems to me like we need a good old fashioned look-out.”

But Edna shook her head.

“Do you really think Heldalf or one of his goons will show up if we have a look-out?” she said. “We won’t find out the cause that way, and what’s worse is we’ll be letting them know we’re on to them.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Mikleo asked. “If they know we’re onto them, they’ll stop.”

“True,” Edna agreed. “But then we can’t catch whoever’s doing this. We want to catch this person, if it even is a person who’s doing it.”

“But why? What good would that do us?”

“What good would capturing our enemy do us? Meebo do you even hear yourself? We could ask him questions, find out what Heldalf’s plans are. Or maybe his _location,_ which we still need in case you forgot.”

But it was Zaveid that let out a low ‘hrmm’ to Edna’s plan.

“Even if we did catch whoever’s doing it, they aren’t going to tell us anything we wanna hear,” he said. “And because we’re a band of seraphim with a leader even more innocent and pure than we our ourselves, we can’t interrogate him the way you’re probably suggesting. Not without turning into hellions. So there’d be no point. I’m with Mikky on this one.”

“Besides,” Mikleo said, “The point here is to protect Sorey. If Heldalf is trying to use me as a tool, like Lailah said, then his ultimate goal is probably to turn Sorey into a hellion.” He turned to Lailiah. “Didn’t you say at the start of our journey that if the shepherd is ever corrupted the world as we know it would end? Malevolence would be born everywhere! Heldalf would win! And all humans and seraphim alike would turn into beasts or dragons. And so, stopping these nightmares first should be our priority.”

Lailah nodded.

“I’m inclined to agree.”

But Edna, still not convinced let off a ‘phht.’

“I still don’t see exactly how giving Mikleo a few bad dreams would turn our mighty shepherd into a hellion. That seems far-fetched to me. That can’t possibly be their goal. And if we want to know their _real_ goal for tormenting lady water, than we need to capture this worm.”

“Hmm…” Zaveid hummed again, putting a hand to his chin. “Edna’s got a good point too. It is hard to see Sorey turning into a hellion just because Mikleo can’t sleep easy.”

“Regardless of their goal,” Lailah said, “I still think stopping this first is most important. It shouldn’t matter what their motive was. If it wasn’t to turn Sorey completely into a hellion, then at the very least they were using it to distract him. Perhaps our enemy thought that if he could instill more fear amongst our ranks, it would weaken the team. Or maybe it was meant as a gateway to injecting malevolence into us. Maybe it was simply to slow our progress. A sleepless shepherd is a shepherd who isn’t working at his best. One misstep in battle and it’s over.”

The team fell quiet. And for several long seconds, everyone seemed to think it over. But while everyone was deciding how to proceed, Mikleo was still stuck on the enemy’s motive. He was still convinced that the reason behind it was indeed to turn Sorey into a hellion. After all, it was only the night before when Mikleo had thought he was turning into one himself. The dream had been so real that when he’d woken up, he hadn’t been sure if he hadn’t been turning to malevolence in his sleep. And if he had turned…and Sorey had to deal with him…maybe Sorey would turn too.

It was a dark, frightening, disturbing thought. And at the moment at least, Mikleo didn’t want to admit these things out loud and to the rest of the group.

“Mikleo,” Came Lailah’s voice. “Do you mind telling us what your nightmare was about last night? Maybe the dreams you’ve been having would give us some insight on our enemies thought process.”

Mikleo’s face fell, and it was clear he was immediately uncomfortable. Lifting one hand, he held onto his opposite arm as he glanced away from his team members yet a second time. 

“I don’t…I…the dream was…”

Sorey was concerned. Why didn't Mikleo want to tell them?

"Mikleo?" he asked, his head tilted slightly to the side, clearly worried. "Is it about...what we talked about in the ruins?" he asked, hoping that maybe then at least he'd understand. If Sorey knew, then maybe he could explain it to the others in an easy way that would take the pressure off of the seraph.

Mikleo hesitated, “Sort of,” he finally said. But he knew he would just have to explain. Letting out a sigh, he forced himself to address the table.

“I dreamt that we faced off against Heldalf and lost. As a kind of punishment, he blasted Sorey with an absurd amount of malevolence effectively and permanently taking away his resonance and all his power. The entire rest of the dream was just…just me following Sorey around throughout his life like some sort of ghost.  
You guys all eventually went your separate ways and left, since he wasn’t the shepherd anymore and there was nothing left for you to do. But I stayed, even though he couldn’t see or hear me. Sorey…spent the next several years looking for a way to get his resonance back. And he’d talk out loud to me sometimes, even though I couldn’t answer and he had no way of knowing if I was really there. We were…completely separated for decades.

Sorey eventually started to make some human friends in his search for resonance. And soon he started having dinner with them or helping them with their own needs. He started talking to me less and less. And then one day, he stopped altogether. He forgot about me. 

Even so…I stayed by his side. I watched him grow old. And even though he gave up his search for resonance and never spoke to me or looked for me again…I couldn’t bring myself to leave him. And then one day he…he…just collapsed. He lay in the grass, dying. But in those last few moments as he was passing on, he could see me again. He saw me and he called my name, and I…I…”

But Mikleo couldn’t finish as his voice tightened. His face tensed and he looked away from everyone at the table. For several seconds, it looked like he had to fight an oncoming of tears, and he had to fight them off pretty viciously. It was no longer a wonder why he’d been sobbing in Sorey’s arms the night before.  
It was Zaveid that said what everyone was thinking, and he said it in a low, angry voice, “That’s cruel.”

The anger Sorey had felt before welled up. Zaveid was right: it was cruel. He found he couldn't say anything for a few seconds, just closed his eyes and clenched his gloved fists in anger.

"It's beyond cruel, and there's no way we're making you go through something like that again, Mikleo." When he opened his eyes again, they were full of pain and concern. All he could think about was how much his love had been trembling the night before, and how he'd sunk his fingers into the back of his shirt like Sorey was...

He couldn't continue that thought. Although calm on the outside, Sorey was most certainly not calm on the inside, and he knew he had to calm that part of himself down.

He caught Mikleo's eyes, and reached out and grabbed the seraph's hand in his own. "And anyway, it's totally ridiculous. I'd never forget about you," he said, feeling like Mikleo already knew that, but reiterated it just in case.

If he'd had that nightmare, if he'd been in Mikleo's place, Sorey would've wanted to hear it. Words had power, and sometimes people just needed to hear things said out loud. If Sorey could do that, and make Mikleo feel better, then that's what he would do.

Sorey grabbed his hand. And that alone brought comfort. But then, he said the words Mikleo knew he would say. He had to say them, or he wouldn’t have been Sorey. 

Mikleo smiled softly, resting his purple eyes on his love.

“I know,” he said. “And you’re right, the dream is ridiculous. Everyone knows you’d never make it to old age, because you can’t survive without me. You’d be dead in a week.”

Edna let out a not so stifled “phht!” And really, Lailah couldn’t help but to let off a giggle too. Zaveid let out a loud “HA!” as he slapped a hand down on the table loudly.

“He’s got you wrapped around his little finger, doesn’t he!” Zaveid laughed. But the soft, kind, affectionate way Mikleo was still smiling at Sorey, let the shepherd know how grateful the water seraph truly had been for his words of comfort. He’d needed them. And besides, Mikleo had more than one reason to break the serious mood.  
Leaning in a little closer to the person he loved he said softly,

“No room for malevolence in there with me around.” Mikleo knew how angry Sorey had been after he told him about his dream. And although sometimes anger was good, he was going to make damned sure that no hatred took root in his beloved’s heart. There would be no room for it as long as Mikleo made sure it was full to the brim with much more pleasant things. 

Sorey grinned sheepishly with the teasing, rubbing the back of his head, which made his brown hair stick out a little. "Yeah, yeah, I'm...pretty much like that," the shepherd agreed with Zaveid, not even bothering to deny the truth.

And of course, Mikleo was right about his statement, too. "Yeah," he agreed swiftly and quietly. "You keep me on my toes. And you're right. I'd last about a week at most," he said with a grin, his green eyes twinkling with merriment, despite how morbid some people might think that comment was. It was just the truth, and Sorey was an honest person, and he needed to laugh about something. And Mikleo had done that for him.

"You're always taking care of me," he said, his voice still soft. And it was unclear if he was meaning in general, or as acknowledgement for the fact that Mikleo had just given him some much-needed cheer. Mikleo would know the double-meaning.  
Sorey gave his hand a squeeze. "Thanks."

Without a word, Mikleo squeezed his hand back.

“All the mushyness aside,” Edna said. “We still have to figure out what to do about this problem.”

“I think it’s already decided,” Zaveid said. “We’re putting an end to this, regardless of our enemies’ motive. Wherever we end up staying this evening, I’m keeping watch. We’ll see if this loser can get around me and my wind. And if my presence scares them off than great.”

Lailah, Mikleo and Sorey all nodded in agreement. It was only Edna who didn’t seem convinced. But seeing she was outvoted, she crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged.

“Fine,” she muttered. “But don’t come crying to me if we don’t understand something about our enemy later.”

It was then of course that the food arrived, effectively ending the conversation about Mikleo’s night stalker. But that didn’t stop them from discussing the upcoming day from between mouthfuls of food.

“So, to the abandoned village of Horsa after breakfast?” Zaveid asked. “Once we purify this place we can blow this joint and move on to another town. Hopefully one with a more permanent and presentable inn. I know our brand new love birds over there are wanting a decent inn. With walls. Bed’s with headboards. And most importantly: doors. Am I right?” And of course, he had to grin and wink as he said such a thing, causing Mikleo to let out a groan and put a hand to his forehead. 

Sorey flushed, turning beet red all the way to tips of his ears.

"Zaveid!" he cried out. "Have some couth! Th-that's...that's not.." and Sorey looked to the side. He couldn't even speak the rest of that sentence. Partially because he didn't know what to say that would be truthful. In reality, he _would_ like to have some privacy with Mikleo, but there was no way he'd say that out loud. Especially not in front of everyone else. And he just...made it seem so perverted. Like it was naughty, or...dirty. Sorey didn't want anything they did together to seem or feel scandalous. It would be good and pure and perfect and wonderful and...

Sorey coughed, averting his eyes.

"Anyway, yes. Let's head to Horsa after we finish here, and then go from there. I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering what could be out there."

He meant it both as another truth, and as a distraction from Zaveid's line of thoughts. That man had a one-track mind, and Sorey didn't want to linger on his personal life with Mikleo any longer than necessary.

“As you wish your shepherdness!” Zaveid said with an over exaggerated bow, then turned back to his food.


	12. Chapter 12: Oasis

((I just realized I've been hogging this great SorMik playlist that I've created on youtube. I write some of these chapters to a few of these songs, depending on the mood. If you guys wanted this playlist, feel free to go ahead and take it. It's public and there's plenty of perfect romantic songs for Sorey and Mikelo on here.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW6skA0PCbMzkt3VmIiCLz-3Sth-25GrI

Please let me know if that link doesn't work. ~Spotofpaint))

** Chapter 12 **

Oasis

The group ate, paid for their food, and then prepared to depart. They all wanted to leave as early as possible to beat the heat. But just before taking off, they went and grabbed an updated map from one of the merchants. They’d already heard about the oasis along the way and all of them wanted to visit it before heading to Horsa. That, and everyone agreed they’d probably need to cool down halfway there. And of course, during this discussion it was Edna who stepped up beside Mikleo and mumbled just loud enough for him to hear, “Melty Mikleo. Melteo.”

He quickly stiffened. And with a frown and a ‘hmph’ later, he was lifting his nose into the air and storming forward to travel at the head of the group away from her. Edna snickered at his back.

They all headed out into the desert then. And Mikleo, like before, was being cautious. He’d unzipped his jacket again to ward off heat exhaustion, that on top of his usual water and ice pop breaks, the team held up fairly well, even though there seemed to be a growing number of hellion encounters along the way.

“Does it seem like there’s more of these annoyances to you?” Edna asked after their most recent battle. And several team members nodded.

“Yes,” Lailah replied. “And I’m feeling a gradual build-up of malevolence as we near the village. I suspect the hellions are gathering due to that.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Zaveid said. “We’re kicking their asses. Our teams never jived this well before.”

And for some reason, this caused Mikleo to gain a slight, pinkish color to his cheeks. Walking up front with Sorey, the others couldn’t see, and he made sure to keep his head turned in case one of them glanced his way. 

They _were_ kicking ass. And they _were_ all jiving well. And Mikleo had never felt so connected to all his friends before. And he, of course, never felt as close to Sorey as he did now. It had affected his fighting, and he didn’t know he could be this good or this focused. And knowing the source of his sudden power increase had made the color come to his face.

Sorey caught him blushing, but didn't know why. It hardly mattered: Mikleo was awfully cute when he was blushing. Sorey decided he liked that look on the water seraph.

"We _are_ doing seriously well. Even with the extra hellions we've met along the way," he observed. "I guess we're just on a roll!" And he flashed everyone a bright smile, happy that his team - especially Mikleo - was doing okay despite the desert heat, and despite having to fight the hoards of hellions that kept popping out of nowhere. Maybe they'd hit some sort of a stride, and had gotten stronger over the past couple of days in the desert.

Or...maybe Mikleo was just kicking more butt than usual, with his newfound powers and strength. Maybe that was it.

Sorey wanted to think that. He already thought the world of the seraph; why not secretly give him a lot of the credit for how great the team was holding up?  
He made a mental note to say something about it when they were alone, in private.

“Well we are in a desert,” Zaveid said. “Bathed in the heat that the glorious fiery sun above us creates. And with Lailah, our very own fire seraph with us, who could be surprised? She took out half those hellions herself back there. She’s in her own element, and here in the fiery sands, she’s working it!” Zaveid turned to her, smiling her way. “And she’s working those legs too!”

“I appreciate your flattery Zaveid,” she admitted. “And your choice of words was almost poetic, but all the same, I’m afraid that last battle was truly a team effort.”

“Poetic you say? Do you like poetry? Because as I said before, I’m a love master. And any good love master is good at poetry. Here, try this one on.” The wind seraph quickly cleared his throat, his orange eyes becoming suddenly stoic and serious,

“Fire burns with power and light  
Churning, sparking, a beautiful sight  
None can resist her loveliness  
Charm and wit, warmth and bliss.  
When wind blows in uninvited  
Fire at first may feel quite slighted  
But wind has a gift fire doesn’t know  
Wind feeds, strengthens and powers a soul.  
Kissing her hands and stoking her flame  
Wind puts power behind his claim.  
Until at last when mixed together  
Fire and wind are for the better.”

It was a damned good poem. And it was hard to deny as such. Even Lailah seemed all aflutter as she lifted her hands to her face, a blush coming to her cheeks.  
“Oh my!” But she wasn’t the only one swooning. Mikleo sported his second blush for the day too, although he was far more collected about it than Lailah. Keeping his chin level with the ground, he kept his demeanor about him.

Even Edna wasn’t immune to it. Though Edna didn’t get any color like the others, she had enough sense to be embarrassed about it as she crossed her arms and looked to the side.

“Even your poems are perverted…” she muttered. 

It was an impressive poem. The naughty implications of it were lost on Sorey, though. He did notice how flustered Lailah got. And also how Mikleo blushed and even Edna looked embarrassed after the wind seraph had finished reciting his poetry. Sorey supposed it was because Zaveid was obviously flirting with Lailah, and the fire seraph must've liked it.

Sorey wasn't the best at poetry. He'd tried to write some a few times to describe the beauty of different areas, and he'd failed terribly at it. It was that sense of lacking that made him appreciate the wind seraph's ability to capture such turns-of-phrases so quickly and proficiently.

Even if his mind wasn't in the gutter, he could still appreciate how good the poem was.

"That...was actually a really good poem," Sorey complimented. "Sometimes I think you're all talk, but then you go and surprise me. I have to say, Zaveid, you really know your stuff." And the shepherd did seem impressed, and not at all embarrassed, like the others.

Quickly, Zaveid moved to the shepherd’s side, an eager grin on his face.

“Do you want to learn?” he asked. “Poetry’s a quick way to a lady’s heart, or in your case, a man’s. Mikleo certainly seemed effected by it.” And then, unabashed, he turned and called over to the water seraph, “Weren’t you Mikky?”

Already flustered and embarrassed, Mikleo waved the wind seraph away.

“Ugh! Shut up will you?” 

Zaveid laughed. 

“He was! He likes a little bit of a naughty poem. He tries to hide it, but you can tell by his face. Besides, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him reading a few poetry books during our journey.”

“It’s called culture and romance, you perverted pig!”

“Romance, lust, it’s all the same thing.”

“It is _not!”_

“Look, Sorey, all I know is that you can do a lot with poetry. Sweep your boyfriend off his feet. Come to me and I’ll give you lessons.”

“Any lessons _you_ give would be about how much smut to fit into a few otherwise good words.” Turning to Sorey, Mikleo said, “Sorey, don’t take poetry lessons from a creep. He’ll just try to corrupt you. If you wanted to write me poems, just make them your own.”

But when Mikleo said that, Zaveid’s grin only grew all the bigger.

“Ah-HA! So you _do_ want Sorey to write you poetry!”

Mikleo’s blush had never completely faded, and now it came roaring back. Even more flustered than he was a second ago, he looked away in embarrassment.

“I never said…he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to!”

Sorey knew what that meant: Mikleo really _did_ want him to write poetry. Sorey's eyebrows shot up dramatically, and then he suddenly grinned. 

"I can do that! I can write you poetry," Sorey stated, placing his hands on his hips in a confident pose. "I may not be as eloquent as Zaveid, but with a little bit of practice and studying, I'm sure I can come up with something good."

He had plans. Oh, did he have plans. Sorey was going to come up with something good as soon as possible, whenever they had a spare moment.

The question was: should he take Zaveid's advice? And what was Mikleo talking about making the poems perverted? He hadn't noticed anything perverted about the wind seraph's poem to Lailah. Had he...missed something?

In any case, it didn't matter. If he could write something pretty and sweep his love off of his feet, and make him blush, then that's what Sorey wanted to do.

Mikleo wasn’t sure how to react. If this had been before his confession, he would have acted as if he didn’t want Sorey to write him poems, mostly to keep Zaveid off the scent. But this was afterward, and Mikleo had already made a promise to himself not to hide how he felt about Sorey any longer. And so, still fighting embarrassment, he looked to Sorey,

“Y-you can write me something…if you wanted,” he said. And it was impossible to hide how suddenly shy he felt. Lailah, in watching the entire thing let off a small, barely stifled, girlish squee. Edna of coarse let off a scoff, then promptly rolled her eyes. 

“A-anyway, we should move on. We’re not making very good time talking about all this while we try to travel. And everyone’s hot, so it’d be nice to reach the oasis,” Mikleo said. “And we should be more vigilant too! What if a hellion took this moment to attack us?”

Quickly, and moving quite stiffly, he marched forward, swinging his arms and keeping his chin up as he always did when trying to maintain his dignity.  
Lailah, seemingly almost beside herself with delight, leaned over to Edna to whisper,

“They’re so _cute_!” Edna only let off another scoff followed by another eye roll.

Despite all of his protests, Sorey knew good and well enough that Mikleo actually did want him to write something special. He just didn't know how to express it. That's how he was: he protested, sometimes vehemently, anything that might be both true and somehow embarrassing. And that trait was extra endearing that blistering afternoon.

"I may need to talk to Zaveid about rhyming, and how to get the timing right," he said quietly to himself. _But I'll try coming up with something all on my own first. He's not getting anything altered or watered down by anyone else. It's going to come straight from the heart._ And so, with a smile plastered all over his face, Sorey trotted after Mikleo, not complaining even once as they made their way through the scorching hot desert towards their destination. The oasis wasn't so far off, and he had plenty of things to think about. Even though they faced dozens of hellions on the way, Sorey's spirits were very bolstered for the rest of the journey.

The hellions were indeed getting more numerous and more powerful as they went, but they still were no match for the shepherd and his party. And as the sun passed the highest point in the sky and just started to descend, everyone was truly feeling the heat. The white sands sweltered in the sun, and just as it was on their way in, everyone was yet again asking Mikleo for water. He obliged. And although he was doing much better with an open jacket, it was clear that he was starting to wilt as he had the first time around. 

His ivory skin, now a little pink, glistened as sweat beaded on the surface, and his shoulders were starting to sag. His purple eyes started to lose some of their zeal as his energy appeared to drain away from him.

 _Damn it…_ he thought to himself. _I can’t be a burden to the group again. I have to figure out a way to maintain my strength until we get to the oasis._  
But that was hard when he felt like a marshmallow that’d been set on fire. Despite his sweat, he felt bone dry, like his skin was shriveling up and turning into leather. The desert was so arid that he just couldn’t maintain his usual cool and damp conditions. Lifting a hand, he wiped at his brow, and tried not to appear as miserable as he was starting to feel.

Then, suddenly, something passed over him, blocking out the sun’s harsh rays and leaving him in blessed shade. Blinking, the harsh light out of his eyes for the first time in hours, Mikleo turned to his side to find Edna holding her umbrella up and over him. His eyes widened in surprise.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Edna said monotonously. “I can do something nice every once in a while. And besides, you’re the weakest out of everyone here, so you need this more than I do.”

Mikleo was about to say ‘thank you’ and he was about to feel grateful…until Edna said that last part. Quickly, a frown overtook his features. 

“I’m not the weakest,” he said firmly. “Didn’t you hear what Lailah said our first time through about opposite elements?”

“I did. And it means you being in a desert makes you the weakest. If we were in a blizzard, Lailah would be the weakest. It’s not personal Meebo, it’s just the truth.”  
But Mikleo was still looking pretty unhappy as he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, looking off and to the horizon. Edna frowned. Then, holding her umbrella out to him a second time, she nudged him in his shoulder roughly with the handle.

“Don’t be proud Meebo, just take the umbrella.”

Mikleo looked back to face Edna, and carefully he studied her face. Maybe…maybe she was trying to be nice for once and her blunt and gravely nature was just her way. Maybe she just didn’t know how else to offer. And Mikleo _was_ aware of the fact that her umbrella was her most precious possession. Hadn’t her brother given it to her before he’d become a dragon?

When he thought about that, his face softened, and slowly, he nodded.

“Ok,” he said. “Thank you Edna.” 

He took up the cute, frilly, yellow and white umbrella into his hands. Then, standing up with it, he found he did feel a lot better with shade over his head. But as soon as he started to walk forward with it, handle over his shoulder in the same fashion Edna always carried it, Edna immediately let off a snicker and a snort. Then, leaning over to Zaveid who was nearby, she said,

“He’s so pretty!”

Mikleo’s shoulder’s stiffened. Immediately his anger returned. Then, turning to face Edna once more, he folded up her umbrella and thrust it back into her hands.  
“No thank you!” He said snippily. Then he turned on his heel and started to march away in a huff. 

“Aww, lady Meebo! Don’t be like that! You need this for your delicate skin!” 

Mikleo didn’t give Edna the satisfaction of an answer and instead continued to march angrily forward and toward the front of the group where Lailah and Sorey had been talking. Passing them both, Sorey of course looked up from the page in the Celestial Record he’d been showing Lailah.

“Mikleo? What’s the matter?” And Mikleo was on a tirade as he marched up the sandy hill before them. Mumbling to himself he muttered,

“Never get any respect around here. Always the butt of some joke! I work hard and I’m responsible. But does anyone treat me right?”

And he would have kept muttering, but that was when he came to the crest of the hill, and when he did, he looked out, and against the horrid glare of the sun he saw a glimmer on the horizon. At first he thought it was a trick of the heat, for the waves often times made it look like there was water off in the distance against the hot sand but…there were palm trees on either side of it and green plants around it’s edges. His face immediately lightened. 

“The oasis,” he said breathlessly to himself. And then, all his anger an indignation forgotten, he called over his shoulder to all the others. “Everyone, we made it to the oasis!”

And in simply seeing the water was enough to fill him with energy, but because he was a water seraph, he could also feel its presence. And he simply couldn’t wait to plunge his body into its cool waters and wash his skin of all the blistering heat and sweat. With a cry of excitement, he took off running down the sandy hill.  
He didn’t wait for anyone else in the party. Mikleo simply flew forward, kicking up sand as he went. And as he started to near the edge of the pool, the water only enticed him to run faster. He could smell it now, he could feel the relieving humidity it gave off, and the sight of it grew better and better as the distance closed. The water was beautiful and crystal clear, and there were far more plants around it than he originally thought. The oasis was also looking much larger than he first considered too. There were even enough trees for shade, and bursts of color from flowers around its edge. It truly was an oasis in every sense of the word.  
Laughing with delight, Mikleo shrugged off his blue coat as he ran. Then, reaching down, he hopped on one foot at a time as he ripped off his black shoes. Then, following the shoes was his black undershirt. And then after that, his white pants.

A trail of clothes behind him and leaving nothing on with exception of his white under shorts, Mikleo then leapt forward and over the edge, landing with a splash into the crystal clear pool. The cold water enveloped him, flowing over his skin and through his hair and in only a second flat he was rejuvenated in his element: his sweat washed clean from him, the heat banished and the dryness replenished with cool, crisp, clean water. Swimming back up, he broke the surface, throwing his head back with delight and sending water spraying off of the blue tips of his hair. Laughing in the sunlight, the pink already gone from his porcelain white skin thanks to his healing artes, he lifted a hand and wiped his wet bangs to the side, revealing his circlet which he’d forgotten to remove in his eagerness. Then, turning to face the other’s as they approached, he swam effortlessly to the edge of the pool where he laid his smiling eyes on a certain Shepherd.  
“Sorey,” he beckoned. “Come into the water, it’s so refreshing!” 

But Sorey couldn't do a lot at the moment. He found himself temporarily paralyzed, frozen in place only a yard away from the oasis.

There was Mikleo. Wearing only his under shorts. Glistening wet. Water droplets everywhere. Calling to him.

The shepherd got a very dopey expression on his face, and didn't bother to hide his open stare. And Zaveid, standing beside him let off a low, rolling chuckle as he elbowed Sorey knowingly in his side. 

There'd been a time when they'd gone to the sauna. It had been difficult to not stare at the water seraph the whole time he and Zaveid had been in the hot room. He had appearances to keep up with, back then. He and Mikleo hadn't been together when that had happened.

But...they were now.

And so, with a flash of his pearly whites, his green eyes shining, Sorey took off towards the water, his hesitation completely banished when he thought about joining his love in the cool, refreshing waters of the pool.

He stripped, more carefully than Mikleo, and then eagerly ran into the water, laughing as he went. This was a great opportunity to relax for a moment, and Sorey happened to love swimming.

He jumped into the crystal clear waters with a splash and a laugh, relief flooding upon him like a wave. All the sweat and sandy dust left his skin, and he felt a thousand times better than he had just mere moments before.

Then, with a smile, he thrust his arms forward into the water and propelled himself towards Mikleo, green eyes bright.

"Yup. You're definitely right. This is fantastic," and he flashed the other youth a huge grin. Then, he turned towards Zaveid and the others.

"You guys get in too! The water's perfect!"

Zaveid didn’t need to be told twice. Already mostly naked, he immediately began ripping off his shoes. Then, in one fluid motion that no one could quite understand, his pants were off. In only a pair of green boxers, he swaggered and swayed his way over to Lailah’s side. Reaching out, he took her hand and lifted it delicately in his own.

“Whaddoya say m’lady? Shall we plunge into the deep?”

“Oh! I…I’m afraid I don’t know how to swim…”

But this hardly deterred poor, determined Zaveid. He only flashed his eyes all the more the fire seraph’s way.

“No need to fear m’dear. I’ll teach you. We can wade slowly but pleasurably through the shallow end.”

“O-oh my!”

While Zaveid attempted to woo Lailah, Edna calmly and quietly left her umbrella and boots on shore, then simply walked into the water fully clothed. She wasn’t as crazy about swimming around as Mikleo, and she certainly didn’t care about naked bodies like everyone else seemed to be, but she _did_ want to cool off a little.  
Meanwhile, seemingly caught in their own little world, Sorey and Mikleo swam around freely in the deeper part of the oasis. And Mikleo seemed completely liberated and joyous in his element. As soon as Sorey swam over to him, he didn’t hold anything back. Hitting a hand forward and into the water, he splashed his boyfriend the old fashioned way, not using any artes. And as soon as Sorey’s brunet hair was flattened like a pancake, he burst out laughing. 

But before the shepherd could retaliate, Mikleo plunged his head down into the waters, leaving Sorey to watch his white feet disappear beneath the surface. Then, as gracefully as a mermaid, he swam down and underneath Sorey, passing playfully between his legs. He grabbed at his ankles briefly, giving a teasing yank as he passed by, just to prove that he could, then resurfaced behind him, still laughing as he did so.

“Gotchya!” Reaching forward, he shoved Sorey in his shoulders, then purposefully seemed to float in place just to see what Sorey would do.

They'd played this type of game dozens of times before, but now it was somehow different. Sorey was allowed to look at things, number one, and number two, it was now okay to do things like let his touch linger for longer than perhaps was necessary. He knew enough to know Mikleo wouldn't mind. Their childhood game had turned into a wonderful opportunity for some flirting, and Sorey intended to take full advantage of that.

With a mischievous smile, Sorey lurched forwards, and placed his hands directly on the water seraph's more slender shoulders, and pushed down, trying to dunk his boyfriend under the water. In a water game contest, Sorey was sure to lose...but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun trying to one-up his boyfriend anyway. 

Mikleo, caught unawares, found himself being shoved beneath the surface. But as soon as he realized what Sorey was doing, he knew how to counter easily enough. Being in the deeper part of the pool, he didn’t fight, but rather, went further down, swimming away from Sorey’s grabbing hands. And then, as he’d just done a second ago, he swam underneath the brunet. But this time, instead of just passing by, he grabbed hold of one of Sorey’s legs, wrapping both arms around his calf, and using perhaps just a little bit of an arte to make sure he had an edge, he yanked downward, pulling Sorey down with him.

Once Sorey was fully submerged, Mikleo let go. He knew after all that Sorey couldn’t hold his breath as long as he could, and so he never kept him under for very long. He swam back up to the surface, and once he emerged, he couldn’t help the laughter that continued to spill from him. He was never as happy as he was in the water, and he was never as happy as he was with Sorey. Adding the two together made him feel as if he were in heaven. 

Eagerly, he waited for Sorey to resurface so they could continue their flirtatious water games.

The chance was way too good to pass up. Now that he was submerged, he wasn't about to let Mikleo go away without some playful retaliation.

He opened his eyes underwater, and swam directly underneath the seraph, then spun around so his love's back was to him. Then, he resurfaced, and after taking a big breath of air, Sorey wrapped his arms tight around Mikleo, pulling him right up against his chest. Then, with a little chuckle, pulled them both underwater, never letting Mikleo go from his grasp as they sank.

Grabbed from behind, Mikleo found himself pulled beneath the surface all over again. And although initially he had struggled, because that’s how they’d always played in the past, as soon as the pair of them were submerged, Mikleo stopped fighting, for once he was under, he felt a wave of calm and peacefulness wash over him. 

There above him was the surface of the oasis, and it shimmered and flowed, letting the sunlight through to make the same wavy patterns that he was so used to seeing. And there beneath him, was Sorey, his arms wrapped around him tightly, securely. And he felt so at home that he wondered briefly if he wouldn’t be able to breathe under water had he tried. He of course knew better, but all the same, the feeling remained. 

For a long moment, he just floated, taking it all in and enjoying it all. At least…that was until Sorey started choking. 

Blinking, he glanced behind himself and found Sorey starting to lose his breath. But because Mikleo was laying on top of him, he couldn’t surface.

_Oh, whoops!_

Sorey let Mikleo go and quickly the water seraph turned around and grabbed Sorey’s hands. Taking them in his own, he swam him back up, kicking his strong legs for propulsion. Then, once the two broke the surface, air filling their lungs, poor Sorey was of course coughing and wheezing. And Mikleo, still in too good of a mood to outright apologize, simply let off another chuckle. 

“Too much for you?” he teased. “Do you need a break? Let’s head to where we can stand.” 

Mikleo didn’t wait for a response as Sorey continued to sputter. Instead, he swam smoothly around to his front, and then straight on up to him. Then, completely unabashed, he reached out a hand. Hooking his fingers in the waistband of Sorey’s boxers, he casually started to pull, and in this fashion, he started to literally tow his boyfriend toward the shore.

Hacking and coughing, Sorey let himself be tugged forward. He was aware of how forward Mikleo was being, and much to his surprise, Sorey found he didn't mind all that much. Mikleo was in his natural element, after all, and Sorey figured he probably felt extra-confident surrounded by water.

Well, that and...it was sort of nice having his hand close to certain places. And it was nice being sort of...tugged along, and bossed around. Actually, that was sort of hot. Maybe he liked some sass.

Still sputtering, he let the seraph tug him along towards an area where he could stand, and as soon as he could, Sorey planted his feet into the sand, covering his mouth as he coughed.

Although he was feeling some physical discomfort, his own spirits were nearly as high as Mikleo's. Once he could respond with words, he did.

"I guess I _did_ get in over my head," he said, unaware of the bad pun he'd just made, even though somewhere on the other side of the oasis, Lailah squealed. "And you certainly...like pulling me around. Can't say I mind." There was a definite tease hidden in the depths of his green eyes, and Sorey smiled mischievously at his boyfriend again, taking in another sweet, deep breath as he enjoyed looking at the incredibly attractive water seraph that was oh-so close.

Sorey was right in thinking Mikleo felt the most confident in the water. When he was in the water, most all of the walls he put up around himself while out on land were taken down. He wasn’t nearly as cautious, or tactful, or worrisome when in the water. And as Zaveid had been saying to him all along: he wasn’t buttoned up in the water either. He just let himself be what he was. And so, when Sorey said _that_ to him, he didn’t resist the temptation he had to take that last step forward to close the distance between them. Lifting his amethyst eyes, he let his sight linger on Sorey’s face.

“Your eyes look so much greener today than usual,” he said. “Maybe it’s all that yellow sand in the background. Or maybe it’s…just me.”

"Maybe it's just because I'm happy" he said, wrapping an arm around Mikleo's waist and pulling him close again. "Stopping at the oasis was _definitely_ a good idea," Sorey said, grinning, enjoying the opportunity to be this close to the person he loved. He stared into Mikleo's amethyst eyes for just a moment longer, before tilting his head and kissing the seraph very soundly before pulling away with a laugh, grabbing Mikleo by the hands and pulling him back into the slightly deeper water.  
He had his breath back, and it was clear Sorey still wanted to play, and he had no intentions of letting go of Mikleo just yet.

Mikleo had closed his eyes and he’d enjoyed that kiss. He inhaled deeply Sorey’s scent, and he loved Sorey’s strong arm as it wrapped around his waist. Their chests were bare, and as Sorey held him against him, Mikleo was suddenly filled with an electric spark as their skin met. He’d never had a sensation like that with Sorey before, and it filled him with a warmth that he didn’t want to let go of. And when Sorey pulled back, ending their kiss, Mikleo gazed up at him with a pair of soft eyes, clearly assuming they were about to have a moment such as the one they’d had in the ruins just yesterday but…that was when,

“Hahaha!” An obnoxious laugh came out of his boyfriend’s mouth breaking the moment. And suddenly, Sorey pulled away from him, grabbed his hands and started to pull him back into the deep end of the oasis. His usual, playful, puppy dog expression on, Mikleo saw clear as day that Sorey still wanted to play. And that of course, was the _last_ thing Mikleo now wanted to do.

“Hey!” Mikleo cried, offense immediately taking over his features. “Stop it! What’s the matter with you? Can’t you read the moment?”

Struggling in his boyfriend’s grasp, Mikleo tried to pull his wrists free, but Sorey had always been stronger than him. 

But Sorey just chuckled, and pulled Mikleo closer to him again until they were flushed up against each other. They were a little deeper in the water now, and that let them float some, which made it easy for more than just their chests to be close together this time around. Buoyancy was a wonderful thing, and without as much gravity on their lower halves, Sorey could snake a leg around Mikleo's leg, too, and not worry about falling over.

Sorey's strong arms were around Mikleo's waist again and the shepherd found himself enjoying the way the other youth fit perfectly up against him, bare chest against bare chest. Again, just as before in the ruins, Sorey was amazed by how soft Mikleo's skin was. And there was a _lot_ more of it exposed than before. That excited him.

"You want more kisses? I can give you more kisses," he said teasingly.

Mikleo broke out into a blush. He almost couldn’t even believe how much he loved being close to Sorey. And when he held him like this, he couldn’t stop his heart from pounding.

“Idiot…” he muttered, still clearly a little unhappy about being played with. “Don’t tease me too much…” But it was really a double-edged sword, because Mikleo couldn’t deny a part of him that almost liked being yanked around. But he was _way_ too prideful to admit _that_ out loud.

Sorey knew two things: he'd messed up when he'd dragged Mikleo back towards the deeper waters and hadn't continued kissing him in the shallows, and also: Mikleo did want more kisses. He was just too prideful to admit it.

Quietly, and softly, Sorey comforted his love. "No more teasing." Then, he leaned in and planted a kiss on Mikleo's lips, letting it linger before gently pulling back, and not letting any distance come between them.

Mikleo felt his heart melt all over again. The gentle way Sorey held him, and the way he softly kissed him made him want to swoon. And the tender way he promised not to tease him anymore made his ears burn. His heart picked up pace all over again, and Mikleo couldn’t help but to wonder how it was possible to feel so full of affection for just one person. He felt so full he was overflowing. 

Unable to help himself, Mikleo lifted his arms, wrapping them around the shepherd. Sliding his hands upward to his shoulders, he embraced him. Wanting to feel him close, he buried his nose in his neck.

“Do you want to know a secret?” he whispered quietly so the others wouldn’t hear, his breath just near Sorey’s ear. “I really do want to stay at an inn with walls and a door.”

Now Sorey's heart started to pound, for he knew what Mikleo's words meant. And he just knew the crazy thudding of his heart would be audible to Mikleo. He cinched his arms just a little tighter around his love, and his own voice soft, he replied in like:

"Me too," he said, his breath tickling the seraph's ears. "I want that too."

He wanted it right then and there, and didn't particularly want to wait until they could find somewhere, either.

He would _not_ tell Zaveid that he was right. The wind seraph would get way too big of an ego boost out of that.

Mikleo _did_ feel Sorey’s heart pick up pace, and he felt how powerfully it suddenly started to pound from within his chest. He felt Sorey’s grip on him increase, and he heard how low and husky his voice had become in his reply. And because Mikleo was a water seraph, he could practically feel the blood thudding in Sorey’s veins.  
Sorey’s body’s reaction was an incredible turn on, and as Mikleo felt the heat in Sorey’s skin start to grow warmer, it was all almost too much to bear. His own body started to react, and knowing this was not the good thing it felt like it was, since they were in public with their friends, he let out an almost tortured sounding moan.  
“We need to…we need to go cool off…” he said. “I’ll meet you back on shore in a few minutes.” Then, lifting his chin, he gave Sorey a quick, sweet kiss on his cheek. Then he unwrapped himself from Sorey, turned, and effortlessly dove back into the water, making himself disappear from sight, and leaving poor Sorey standing alone, holding onto nothing but air.

Sorey knew he was right. That didn't mean he liked it. The second Mikleo swam off, the shepherd felt a heavy sort of longing, already wishing that the water seraph was back in his arms.

But...he had to get control of himself.

Sorey sighed, floating on his back in the cool waters, looking up at the bright blue desert sky above him. It was good, really, that Mikleo had sense enough to put a temporary halt to their affections. The others were nearby, and just like it had been in the ruins, the oasis pool was no place for their first time together.

But...he'd wanted it.

He'd wanted it bad.

If the others hadn't been there, Sorey was sure he would've taken the seraph over to the shore and just...

Blood rushed to the tips of his ears, and he covered his mouth, feeling flustered. Then, wordlessly, he dunked himself back under the water.

No more thoughts like that. He couldn't keep thinking like that if he wanted to be able to get out of the pool any time soon.

Sorey slowly let himself drift back upwards to the surface of the water, and just let himself relax. If he focused on something else, then he could cool himself down, truly. 

The poor shepherd appeared quite forlorn as the water seraph disappeared back under the surface, and the entire scene hadn’t escaped certain party members who’d been watching from a distance.

“Damn, we gotta get those kids a room and pronto! If we don’t they’re gunna start groping each other right in the middle of a battle!” Zaveid said. And Lailah, who’d finally broken down and joined Zaveid in the shallows of the oasis, unfortunately had to agree. She loved Sorey and Mikleo’s relationship and she thought they were just precious, but she was also worried it might become a distraction from their very serious quest. Even so, the way she answered wouldn’t reflect any of that.

“They’re both too responsible for something like that Zaveid,” she said in their defense, despite some of her worries. “Let’s have faith in them.”

Zaveid, his eyes still focused out and on the forlorn shepherd, nodded. 

“Yeah,” he said simply.

A few moments later, most of the party members started to emerge from the pool of water. Edna, standing on shore, started to ring out the water from the bottom portions of her dress. Zaveid moseying over to her, grinned.

“You need help airing out your clothes? I could blast you with some air.”

“No thanks. I wore them into the water on purpose. We’re in a desert. They’ll keep me cool for maybe five minutes before they’re dry again.”

Zaveid shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

Lailah who’d also kept her dress on, simply for modesty’s sake since Zaveid kept trying to get her to take it off, actually did take Zaveid up on his offer. Happy to go over to her, he held out a hand and acted as a sort of blow dryer. Carefully, and somehow with respect and restraint, he started to help Lailah dry off.

But as everyone started to get out of the water, Mikleo of course remained. He’d spent a lot of time swimming around on his own on the opposite side of the oasis. He dove down to the bottom a few times to check out shiny objects he saw glinting in the light. But most of them turned out to be pebbles or other such things that he decided not to keep. Even so, it’d kept his mind off of his longing for Sorey. 

The rest of the time he spent working on his artes. With water all around, it was always easiest to practice in such environments. Deciding to focus on spells that required a ton of concentration over anything easy or powerful, he’d chosen more creative aspects. Lifting his hands, and swirling his fingers through the air, he muttered a few words under his breath, then lifted the water up into the air in a swooping motion that imitated the movement of his fingers. As he drew it up, he froze it in place, capturing it in time. In only a few seconds or so, he had entire ice sculptures, all of which appeared intricately detailed and beautiful in the desert sun. It was easy to see that he was forcing his mind to focus on its work and nothing else.

“Mikleo, it’s time to go!” Lailah called out to him.

Turning to see the other’s getting ready on the opposite shore, he called back,

“Be right there.” With his usual grace and ease, he dove back into the waters. Effortlessly and within seconds he reached the opposite bank. Climbing out of his refuge, he already felt the heat of the sun on his pale skin. He sighed, knowing he’d be uncomfortable again in only a few minutes after he was dressed. 

For just a few minutes, he let himself air dry: no one wanted wet underwear after all. And like Edna claimed, the hot desert sun dried the garment in no time, even with him still wearing it. And so, looking a bit hesitant to leave the oasis and continue their journey, he started to get dressed. He pulled on his pants and his undershirt. But once clothed, he didn’t put his jacket back on right away. Instead, he picked it up and walked it over to the oasis. Then bending down, he submerged it in the water. 

“What’re you doing?” Edna asked.

“Preparing for the rest of the journey.”

Lifting his blue jacket back out, he then shrugged it back up and onto his shoulders. And once it was on, he waved a hand over it and the jacket froze into ice.

“Ahh…” he breathed a sigh of relief. “I should have thought of this earlier. All I’ll have to do is refreeze it when it starts to melt.”

“That’s really… _cool!_ ” Lailah said, immediately giggling afterward. “You see what I did there? I said it was cool! Like the temperature!”

“We get it Lailah…” Edna groaned. 

Mikleo smiled, “Anyone else want their clothes frozen?”

“No thank you,” Zaveid said quickly. “All I got are m’pants. And you can understand why I wouldn’t want you to freeze _those._ ”

Mikleo let out a chuckle of amusement, “I guess not. Edna? You?”

“Nope. I wouldn’t be able to move in a frozen dress. And really, I’m wondering how _you’re_ going to move. We need you for battle you know.”

“Edna, please, I can thaw it in a second flat when we run into the next hellion. What do you take me for?”

“An idiot.”

“Hey!”

Edna stuck her tongue out at him. Mikleo, rolling his eyes, would have crossed his arms over his chest had he not frozen the jacket sleeves. And realizing how annoying it would be to be unable to move his arms, he at the very least unthawed those for better movement. Then, turning, he finally dared to look for Sorey. He was certainly cooled off by that point, and with his mind focused on the journey, it was safe to be near the person he loved once more.  
“Sorey, are you ready? Do you want a frozen cloak?” Mikleo smiled a bit teasingly.

"No thanks," Sorey responded, pulling on one of his boots. The only thing left for him to put on after that was his cloak, and he really didn't want that holding him back. Unlike Mikleo, he couldn't just thaw it and refreeze it any time he wanted. "And besides, you know I like the way it moves in the wind." He'd told the seraph that a few times before, stating it made him feel cool and somehow impressive.

Within just a couple of more seconds, the shepherd was ready to go, feeling refreshed and much more at ease than he had been earlier on. With a grin, he surveyed the rest of the group. Everyone looked ready to go.

"Well, alright," he stated, his hands on his hips. "I guess we should continue onward, then..." And he cast a forlorn glance back at the oasis. He was already starting to feel the desert heat now that he was fully clothed. While he didn't want anything frozen, he also wasn't relishing the idea of going back out into the heat.

But he had done a lot of thinking about poems for Mikleo, and while he wasn't really ready to say them out loud, he felt like maybe he could start to jot something down on paper whenever they stopped to rest again. Floating in the deep had given him a lot of time to figure out what he wanted to say, and well....he certainly was no wordsmith like Zaveid, Sorey still felt like he'd do a good job with his poem. Surely Mikleo would like it.

With a secret little smile on his face, the shepherd then took out his map, and surveyed the landscape. "Okay. So...I think we need to go that way," he said, studying it for a second longer to get their bearings, and then he turned back to face everyone else.

"You guys ready?" he asked, more as a courtesy than anything. He knew they'd follow him just about anywhere, but Sorey never wanted to feel like they had to do as he said just because he was the shepherd. He didn't view any of his team members like that. They were all important friends, and if someone needed some extra time at the oasis to wrap things up or finishing drying off, then that was fine too.

“Oh uh…two seconds,” Mikleo said when asked. Realizing that he’d also frozen the two tails that came off the back of his cloak, he quickly thawed those and allowed them to dry so they’d flow like usual. That way at least, he didn’t look too ridiculous while moving. “Ok ready.” The other’s said they were ready too, and so the group headed off once more.


	13. Chapter 13: The Hellion in Horsa

** Chapter 13 **

The Hellion in 

Travels grew harder over time. And as they’d been experiencing all along, the hellions were getting tougher and meaner. And since the frequency of them was growing quite numerous, Mikleo was eventually forced to shed his comforting ice shield and just be hot along with everyone else. His clothes dried in mere minutes, and soon he was as miserable as before. But he needed it for movement in battle, as Edna had said.

A few more hours passed, and the sun began to descend toward the blood red horizon. The sky above became a bright yellow-orange as they walked over the last crest of the last hill and spotted Horsa. The abandoned village appeared several decades old, maybe even a hundred years. The houses roofs were caved in and some of the walls had fallen. There was certainly no trace of any life left there other than what naturally lived in the desert. The place looked desolate and sad. And for the shepherd and his group, because they were all connected through their powers and through Lailah’s oath, they all sensed the hugely powerful malevolence before them. 

“That’s definitely the source of malevolence in this area,” Lailah said. “If we can purify the hellion living here, we should be able to free this area, including Lowgrin of all this negativity. The town and its people will surely prosper if we take care of this.”

Everyone stared down at the village, several seconds passing in silence. 

“It may be powerful, but it’s just a hellion like any other,” Mikleo said seemingly more to himself than to the group. “It doesn’t have a domain like Heldalf.”

More silence followed. But the silence seemed thick. And Lailah’s turquoise eyes seemed to hold a deep worry in them as she glanced Mikleo’s way.

Sorey understood what was troubling his boyfriend. He knew all too well. And he knew that in times like these, he needed to be gentle with him. As such, he shuffled over and placed a hand softly on his shoulder.

"You're exactly right," Sorey agreed, doing his best to look positive, despite the incredibly powerful malevolence he felt emanating from the desecrated city nearby. "It's just a hellion. And we're much stronger than we were before." Sorey's expression was earnest and full of conviction. "We can do this," and he flashed Mikleo a smile, then towards the rest of the group. "Right, Zaveid?" He knew the wind seraph would back him up on this.

“Yeah!” Zaveid immediately responded, barking almost like a dog. “I’m pumped! Let’s take care of this devil!”

There really wasn’t anything more to say or do, and so the group headed down toward the village. Stepping inside, through what used to be a wall, they found the malevolence frighteningly thicker than they imagined it would be. It pounded in on them on all sides, and the air turned a purplish hue as it had when Heldalf had been near, and it was also the same hue as what it had been in Mikleo’s nightmares. Against his will, he found his heart had started to pound in his chest. 

Waving a hand in front of him, he called fourth his staff and the other’s brought up their own weapons of choice. Whatever the hellion was, it was near. But simply seeing that he was able to bring his staff out brought Mikleo a little comfort. He couldn’t even do that much around Heldalf.

“Everyone keep your eyes peeled,” Lailah instructed. They moved through the village, carefully and slowly, looking in all directions for their enemy, and as they did, the air grew thicker and thicker. It became so oppressive that it was somewhat hard to breathe. Mikleo’s hands broke out into a sweat. His breathing had increased and as a result he found his mouth dry. He licked his lips, then tried yet again to steady his suddenly jumbled nerves. 

_Its fine,_ he told himself. _Those were all just dreams. And it’s just like everyone said…Heldalf’s trying to use me to hurt Sorey. He wants me to be afraid, he wants me to mess up in battle. I’m the healer. If I can’t perform, everyone could be in danger, or get hurt, or even die. That’s why…that’s why he’s been doing this to me…_  
Mikleo swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. 

_So I can’t be afraid. I can’t let some stupid nightmares affect me. I have to be as brilliant as always._

He nodded firmly to himself, his face becoming more determined. But as soon as he started getting his confidence back up, the group turned the corner around one of the abandoned houses and came face to face with the hellion they sought.

The hellion was large and frightening. As tall as eight feet, its top half appearing as a woman, its bottom half was made up of tentacles with the heads of snakes on the ends of them. She was thick and full, her skin a dark, shimmering purple with scales flaking off in patches. Her hair was a rope of snake bodies, writhing and churning in on themselves, and from between her blood red lips poked a pair of sharp white fangs. 

Slowly, she turned to face them, and when she did, a pair of soul piercing red eyes twisted toward them. Spotting the group, she let out a horrific noise that sounded to be a cross between a scream and a hiss. A few of the team members jumped. 

The creature, after screaming, reared up on its tentacles, becoming far taller than it appeared before. Then, turning to face Sorey, it let out another hiss, this time followed by a dark, dooming pulse of bad energy.

The energy wave rocked through the group, and immediately, everyone knew what it was.

“This is a domain!” Lailah cried. And just like that, all of the things Mikleo had told himself were forsaken. His heart felt like it exploded from within his chest as terror pierced him. And completely forgetting everything else, he immediately ran to the shepherd’s side.

“Sorey!” he cried. But he wasn’t even going to bother waiting for a response; he reached out to grab his boyfriend’s shoulder. But when he did, he was completely horrified to see his hand pass right through him as it had back on the battle field in Glaivend Basin. 

Panic pierced him of the likes he’d never experienced before. His breathing hitched, and when it came back, it started to rush in and out of him faster than he could control it. His chest tightened, quickly and powerfully. It was like being squeezed to death by a boa constrictor. His hands and feet became as cold as ice. But worst of all was the fear. He was filled with so much dread and so much terror and it had happened so quickly that he hardly knew how to handle it. He’d never been so afraid of something before in all of his life. 

“No! No! Sorey! _Sorey!”_ he shrieked. Frantic, he raised both hands, trying desperately to grab onto his boyfriend, but both of his palms passed through the shepherd as if he were nothing.

“No! Stop! Stop this! It isn’t real! This is a dream!” He was completely losing it, and the other seraphim saw it. 

“Zaveid, he’s panicking!” Lailah cried. “Go grab him before he hurts himself and try to calm him down. In the meantime, Edna and I will try and break through the domain and help Sorey!”

Zaveid, having his orders, and seeing Lailah was right, quickly ran over to the frightened water seraph as Edna and Lailah ran forward, weapons ready to help fight. Approaching Mikleo from behind, Zaveid, reached out his arms and grabbed onto Mikleo very easily, wrapping him up in a bear hug. But of course, as soon as Mikleo was restrained and Zaveid tried to pull him back and away from Sorey, he started to struggle and thrash in the wind seraph’s arms.

“Let go of me!” he cried. “I have to get to Sorey! He thinks he’s all alone! He can’t fight without us! What if he gets hurt? I can’t heal him! I can’t help him! I can’t do anything!”

He was on the verge of tears, or perhaps a nervous breakdown. But Zaveid held on tight, never letting him go.

“Mikleo, calm down!” he shouted over his hysteria. “This isn’t like Heldalf, and it isn’t like one of your nightmares! Can’t you sense it? This hellion’s domain is weak! Way weaker than anything we have to worry about. We can all break through it together with our power. But you have to get a hold of yourself first!”

And just like that: Mikleo and the others were gone. Sorey had not been expecting the malevolence to be so thick and oppressive, nor had he been prepared for the domain the Medusa-type hellion projected.

He started to panic. His breath caught in his chest, and the shepherd found himself temporarily frozen in fear.

But then...he remembered how Mikleo had said he'd been there the whole time in the basin. How he'd been trying to get back to him...and he remembered how part of Mikleo's fear was Sorey being scared that they were disconnected. That Sorey would need him, and Mikleo not be able to help.

Sorey knew....he'd have to be strong, and believe in the power of his team mates. If they were truly there, then surely they could break through this.

The she-creature may indeed have a domain, but it was a fraction as powerful as Heldalf's. And Sorey felt like the seraphs would be able to power their way through it.

He forced on a brave face. "Mikleo, Lailah, everyone...I know you're still there!" he cried out. "It'll be okay! I...I can't see you but I know you guys can get through this!" Sorey brandished his sword, giving it a twirl at the hideously deformed hellion before him. "We'll be okay! She's not Heldalf!"

Maybe his words would embolden his team, and moreover, his love. For Sorey knew that Mikleo was scared, even if he couldn't see or hear him at the moment.

Zaveid and Mikleo both stopped in their struggles when Sorey spoke. And Zaveid, still holding onto Mikleo, smiled at the shepherd’s words.

“You hear that Mikleo?” he asked. “You hear how much faith and trust he has in us? This isn’t like before; he knows we’re here this time. And he knows we can defeat this she-demon. He’s not afraid.” 

Mikleo stared at Sorey’s back as he brandished his sword and stood tall, ready to face the hellion before them even though he couldn’t see or hear any of his friends. And as he stared at him, he couldn’t help but to be filled with awe. Zaveid, in seeing the look on the water seraph’s face, smiled all the wider.

“You can still support him Mikleo, domain or not. Why don’t you show him the same faith and trust he just showed you? You can still use your artes in a domain this weak, can’t you?”

And Mikleo only needed a second more to recover. Sorey’s words, and Zaveid’s too, filled him, and he knew they were right. Quickly, he righted himself, and as he stood up tall, Zaveid released him from his grip. 

“Of course I can,” Mikleo responded. Lifting a hand, he dusted off his shoulders, fixing himself. Then he took his staff back up in both hands. “And you’re right, this isn’t Heldalf. Our team’s way too strong to fall prey to a hellion like this. Sorey knows we’re with him. We can fight and win, even if he can’t see us or hear us. We can see and hear him. We’ll break through the domain, but until then, we’ll fight on faith alone.” 

“That’s the Mikky we know! Welcome back!” Reaching out, Zaveid slapped Mikleo on his shoulder. “Now, let’s do this!”

Nodding, Mikleo ran back over to Sorey’s side, taking up and offensive stance.

“Yes!” Looking to the others, he quickly called out, “Everyone listen for any orders from Sorey! He’s going to believe we’re doing as he says regardless of what he can or can’t see! In the meantime, I’ll protect and heal everyone while you guys take the front lines!”

“Aye aye captain Mikky!”

And with that, Zaveid ran forward to meet Lailah and Edna who were already confronting the hellion. And although the domain severely weakened all the seraphs on the team, they were indeed still able to use their artes as Zaveid had claimed. And so, for Sorey, it was quite a sight to see. For him it appeared as if fire, earth and wind were being conjured out of thin air, and these elements were attacking the monster of their own accord. 

Mikleo, knowing Sorey would be looking for his water, just as reassurance, turned to his human counterpart. And then, smiling to himself, Mikleo knew exactly how to let the shepherd know he was beside him. He may not be able to talk to him, or touch him, but his artes were working just fine. And so…

Waving a hand, Mikleo created a single bubble. Gently, he sent it forward until it kissed the tip of Sorey’s nose. Once it touched him, it popped, and Mikleo knew his message had been received. 

“I’m with you,” Mikleo said confidently, his amethyst eyes shining. “And we can do anything so long as we’re together. Let’s help the others and purify this hellion! Let’s make the world a place where humans and seraphim can live side by side!”

His words must have gotten through to his team, because the next thing the shepherd knew, the elements were moving all around him, and from the looks of things, they were giving the she-demon quite a difficult time. Sorey was astounded to see how the earth rose up, seemingly all on its own accord. And the fire swirling and the wind raging was just as impressive to witness as it slammed into the hellion, cutting and burning her asunder. 

For just a second, he wondered if this was how all the normal humans had seen things back at the Battle of the Basin before Heldalf had ever appeared. Sorey had simply walked forwards while his team mates commanded the elements all around them in their attempt to stop the battle. He remembered how everyone had stared in awe and wonder...and fear as he'd made his way forward. Unlike those humans, though, Sorey wasn't afraid. Not of this. Not of them.

As he watched his teammates fight, Sorey realized he didn't see a certain element being flung about, one that he very much wanted to see. And just as that thought popped into his mind, a single lone bubble floated towards his nose, and gently popped upon contact.

Sorey knew where that had come from.

His heart surged with emotion. He couldn't hear the emboldened words Mikleo just spoke, but he felt his presence right next to him. He believed in his team's and his love's power, just as much as they were believing in him. Together they would face this hellion. She couldn't possibly stand in their way.

With a triumphant smile, Sorey twirled his sword once more, and ran into battle alongside his team.

"We can do this! We can do anything as long as we're together. Let's smite this evil!" And he swiftly began attacking the hellion, giving the tentacled creature hell, even as his team mates responded in kind.

Mikleo rushed in alongside his shepherd, and with the addition of the two, the team was complete. With everyone together, they stared to gain the upper hand. The hellion let out a terrible shriek as one of Edna’s rock spires impaled one of her tentacles. Lashing out, she whipped poor Lailah across her chest, sending her flying backward.

“Lailah!” Zaveid had cried, but he didn’t have the time to go to her. One of the many snake heads the creature had came barreling toward him, and so, hands full, he couldn’t see if she was alright. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blue glow and knew Mikleo was attending to her.

“Oh holy fountain…” Came the start of his healing spell. And even from across the battlefield he tended to her while also defending Sorey. In only a few seconds, Lailah was back on her feet.

“I’m fine!” she cried, then rushed back into battle. 

Wind, like blades, cut through one of the snake’s heads, eliminating that tentacle all together, and Sorey’s sword did the same on the other side of the beast. Edna was holding her own well, but Mikleo saw Zaveid misstep. The hellion seeing it too, lashed out one of her clawed arms to gouge him, but before she had a chance, ice shards flew in from the side, sliding the extended arm before it could reach its victim. The hellion shrieked. 

“Thanks Mikky!”

“Keep your head in the game!”

But with Mikleo’s attention diverted, he missed the snake that was heading his own way. It slithered around his ankle, grabbing him and pulling him down to the ground. He fell with an ungraceful ‘thwack.’ The snake head, close enough to strike, struck out to bite, but that was when it was suddenly enveloped in flame. It hissed horrifically as it burned. Scrambling back to his feet, Mikleo called out, “Thanks Lailah!”

The battle went on, but it was a bit of a struggle. Unable to perform at their best because of the domain suppressing them, none of the seraph’s could perform their more powerful spells, and Sorey was unable to armatize with any of them. Still, they did what they could and were very slowly making ground. At a steady pace they began to win.

Up from on top one of the red rock cliffs surrounding the abandoned village, a bystander was watching the battle unfold. Appearing as a small, pale girl with dark purple hair, no human would have guessed she was thousands of years old. But the team below her had already met her once before and would have known better had they been aware of her presence. They knew how dangerous Symonne was.

She let off a ‘tsk’ as she saw the team begin to succeed. 

“It looks like the seed we tried to implant in the water seraph didn’t take root,” she said, although no one stood beside her. “He’s broken through the fear we embedded in him, although I’m not sure how. Perhaps he’s stronger than he looks.”

“Fear is but one tool at our disposal,” came a deep, frightening, male voice from within Symonne. “And not everyone is susceptible to it. This was only but one path to the shepherd’s downfall. We will simply try another.”

Symonne watched the battle unfold beneath her.

“What are your next set of orders? What shall I do to them? Should we pick another team member? Maybe one of them is weaker than the water seraph.”

“No,” the deep voice responded immediately. “As I’ve already explained to you before, it’s of utmost importance that we corrupt the shepherd and turn him into a hellion. Only in this way can we cover the world in malevolence. And the shepherd is unnervingly strong in spirit. Breaking him physically will not work. He’d sooner die than turn. And he doesn’t care so much for himself as for others. And not so much for the others…as for his seraphim lover. And so it must be the water seraph.”  
Symonne frowned. And even as Heldalf spoke to her, she saw how the team responded to one another in battle before her. They were strong when working as a unit. And Mikleo seemed to pull his seed of fear up by the roots after only a few words from Sorey.

“They feed off of one another,” she observed. “How are we going to break through that?”

“That is the very thing that will be their downfall,” Heldalf growled. “The shepherd believes love is a strength, but in truth it is perhaps his only weakness. If we can bring enough harm and pain to the one he loves, he will crumble.”

“Yes but _how?”_ Symonne demanded with irritation.

“Patience,” Heldalf said calmly. “As I said before, we have more than just fear at our disposal. Come, return to me for now and I’ll command you anew.”

Symonne let off another ‘tsk,’ a frown cutting deeply across her young face. Then turning away from the shepherd and his crew, she lifted a hand and tore a hole of darkness into the air before her. Then, stepping into it, she vanished.

Below the cliff where she had stood, the team continued to fight against the hellion. All four elements shining and bursting forth, they came together with Sorey’s blade. But it was still a rough battle. Several team members were injured, and Mikleo’d been unable to keep up with every wound. As such, no one got healed unless the injury was severe. At the moment, he fought with his staff raised as a snake head lunged forward. He caught it in its teeth as the serpent chewed ravenously on the metal pole. A gash on his head from earlier let a thin ribbon of red trail down his white skin from underneath the tips of his turquoise hair.

“We need to break through this domain if we’re to finish this!” He called to his teammates. “Lailah! How do we do that?”

“We need a large burst of holy energy!” She yelled while throwing flames in the Medusa’s face. “Perhaps if we all concentrated together! But I don’t know how we’d have enough time for that!” 

The hellion lunged forward, and Lailah shrunk back with a cry as she was almost buried beneath its girth. But just in the nick of time, a rock wall shot up before her, protecting her as the beast crashed her head into it.

“You’re welcome,” Edna said monotonously. The hellion went to rise back up, but as it did, it suddenly thrashed back letting out a terrible scream. Looking back and behind it, the team saw Sorey plunging his sword into her back. He’d had a great opening and had taken it. But of course, this put him amongst almost all of her tentacles and very close to their enemy’s body.

Twisting around, the hellion lashed out with her claws. There was a terrible slashing sound, and Mikleo watched in horror as Sorey’s body went flying through the air. He’d been thrown back a great distance, three terrible and deep bloody claw marks across his chest. He landed on the ground with a sickening thud.

“Sorey!” Mikleo cried. He wanted to go to him, more than anything. He wanted to kneel at his side and heal him. But he was on the opposite side of the monster, and getting to Sorey at the moment seemed impossible. The others were all closer. And even in only the split second he had to decide it, Mikleo knew what he had to do. As the hellion started to slither toward his love, he let out one of the fastest and weakest spells he had, just to get her attention.

“Twin Flow!” he called. Then, shooting her with water, directly in her back wound, she let out a terrible hiss. Then of course, she turned back around to face him.  
“Everyone! Gather around Sorey and concentrate on breaking the domain! I’ll do my best to do the same from here while I’m the distraction! If she’s focused on me, you should have time enough to do it!”

“Mikleo…” Lailah had started to argue, but she saw that there was no time. Mikleo had already attacked the creature and the creature was already headed toward him and ignoring the others.

“Hurry!”

Listening to their companion, the other three seraphim gathered around Sorey as he struggled to sit back up. Facing outward toward the hellion, they all concentrated their energies. Each seraph glowed their respective color as they called fourth their power. And across the abandoned village, they could all see Mikleo doing the same. Even as the monster slithered toward him, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his holy power, glowing a brilliant blue.

“He’s going to get killed!” Zaveid cried. 

“No, he won’t,” Lailah said as she watched him. And even without him having said so, she thought she understood his plan. “All we have to do is break through the domain. Once we do…Sorey will call for him.”

Bleary eyed and his head ringing, Sorey struggled to sit up from where he’d fallen. The three slashes across his chest stung painfully, and he didn't need to take a look at his body to know they were deep. Even trying to stand back up hurt tremendously, and Sorey had to grit his teeth in order to even force himself to sit up. And all the movement of him doing so, caused blood to gush out of his wounds and seep through his navy blue undershirt.

And then, just a moment later, the hellion started clambering towards him. He'd been so sure he was about to face a horrific attack...but that's when a very familiar spell whipped out of nowhere, distracting the hellion, forcing her to turn the other way. Sorey didn't need to see Mikleo to know he was trying to protect him. He was always trying to protect him.

The shepherd waited for some further retaliation from the rest of the team, expecting their attacks to continue, but no one else seemed to be harming the hellion. In fact, there were several seconds when no seraphic artes were being cast at all. Sorey wasn't sure what was going on...but the she-creature was slithering straight towards the area where the Twin Flow attack had come from.

_She's going to attack Mikleo! Why isn't he attacking? Why aren't the others..._

But his fear was for naught, for that was precisely when his seraphic team mates broke through the domain. There was a brilliant ring across the area, like a bell being struck, and instantly Sorey felt a surge of his usual holy power return to him. His resonance flowed back from out of his center, and the air around them cleared. The purple hue of it banished, everything became as colorful as the sunset around them. And it was in that moment that he was finally able to see his team mates standing all around him…all except Mikleo.

Fear striking him, Sorey, turned his head just in time to see his love far across the battle field. He stood fierce and strong, his shoulder’s back and his chin held high as he stared the hellion right in her ferocious eyes. He had been glowing a brilliant blue, shining against the darkness as the beast loomed impossibly tall over him, but that glow faded as the domain was broken and his spell was cast. And then, there was only a second to spare before the creature lunged forth in order to deliver the killing blow to the water seraph before her.

Sorey's eyes locked on Mikleo, and with a loud, crystal-clear voice, he called out his true name.

"Luzrov Rulay!"

Mikleo hadn’t been afraid, not even for a second. For he’d known Sorey would call for him as soon as the domain was broken. And he did. And as soon as his true name was beckoned, Mikleo felt himself be lifted from his place. The hellion crashed into the earth where he’d just been, but as a spirit, he soared as quick as lightning toward his love and into him. They fused, combining as one and Sorey’s body became his own. Sharing, they transformed, and in an instant the armatization was over. 

Sorey’s wounds were healed and so were Mikleo’s. They stood up together on one pair of legs. And rising to their full height, they both took just a second to feel the power that coursed through their veins. As always, it was an incredible rush to be as one. Mikleo and Sorey both felt the true potential that both of their energies combined gave them. With both water and lightning flowing through them, and with two helpings of holy magic, it was easy to feel exhilarated.

But there was something even more exhilarating that both young men cherished during armatization, and that was the closeness they had with one another. It was only in this form, and this form alone that they shared one heart, beating in one chest, and one mind, where they could hear one another’s thoughts with no barriers between them. It was as close as two people could ever be, with exception perhaps…of physical intimacy.

 _Sorey,_ came Mikleo’s voice in their shared mind. _I never doubted for a second. I knew you’d call for me. I’m so glad you’re ok. I was worried…_

The instant they connected Sorey felt a thousand times better, and it wasn't just because his physical wounds had healed, thanks to the healing properties that came with armatization. He was connected with his love now, and it made his soul feel...powerful and whole. More complete than ever before. And more than that, he felt connected with Mikleo in a way he doubted most people could possibly ever understand.

He didn't have to worry about Mikleo anymore, or the rest of the team, for that matter. If they were together like this, then that hellion stood no chance. Not against them.

 _Sorry to make you worry,_ Sorey responded in like. _I'm okay now. And I was worried about you, too. But I knew we'd make it. You guys pushed through the domain!_ And Mikleo, sharing his emotions as well as their mind, would be able to feel how proud and also, how relieved Sorey was at how they'd managed to do such a thing.  
_And...I'll always call for you. Always._ And it was a good thing the others couldn't hear their own private mental conversation, because Sorey was pretty sure that was a tone of voice he only wanted Mikleo to hear.

A swelling of emotion filled Mikleo’s chest, and of course, this meant it filled Sorey’s too. And knowing Sorey could feel everything he could only made it all the better. There was never anything between them, even when they weren’t sharing a body. And when they were…Sorey could feel how much Mikleo truly loved him without him ever having to say a word. 

It had been some time since they had to armatize against an enemy, and so Mikleo wondered if Sorey was shocked by the strength and magnitude in which his feelings for him had blossomed. But knowing they didn’t have time to dwell on such things or talk about them, since there was a hellion before them, Mikleo quickly called Sorey’s attention front and center. 

The tentacled beast woman was rising from where she’d fallen, her back bleeding profusely from where Sorey had stabbed her, and her scaled body bruised from the seraphs other attacks. She was already beaten and weak, her domain broken. And so, it was easy to see that she was no longer much of a threat.

“One, clean, powerful shot to the head should finish her,” Sorey and Mikleo both said, their voices sharing the same set of lungs and vocal chords. And in agreement, as they were in most things, they lifted their arms, calling forth the water bow that Mikleo had claimed in the water temple not so very long ago, although it seemed as if a lifetime had passed since then. 

The weapon materialized in their hands, and an arrow along with it. Right away they felt their power surge through their arms as they fit the arrow into the bow string. The hellion, hissing spitting, and looking generally ferocious as she realized she was about to lose the battle, faced the group. As she did, it was Mikleo that took control, lifting the bow and aiming the arrow tip. Accustomed to working together in the same body, neither had to speak to the other as it was simply understood that Mikleo was the one to aim, and Sorey chose when to fire. 

And so, they didn’t flinch or blink when the hellion let out a ear piercing shriek, then suddenly lunged forward in a last ditch effort. She neared, coming ever closer, but all the same Sorey waited. He waited until he felt the surge of water based magic that he always felt from Mikleo when it was time. And it was only then, when he felt that flow of water artes enter the arrow that he released his own power and let the arrow fly.

It sailed forward, straight and true, and with a sickening THUNK it sunk itself into the hellion’s forehead, the arrow tip embedding itself right between her eyes. There was a burst of water artes combined with electricity as it hit, and the hellion didn’t stand a chance as the power coursed through her body. With one final shriek, she collapsed to the ground, falling still.

For just a second, everyone was motionless and silent as they kept their eyes on the body. Most of them were hoping that like with most hellions, it would transform into a human woman, indicating that she had successfully been purified and saved. But all of them knew the truth of the matter in their hearts already. This particular hellion…couldn’t be rescued. 

The hellion had been old, perhaps hundreds of years. Her grotesque amount of power was a testament to that. And she had the same sense about her as the abandoned village. Whatever had happened to the village was perhaps the reason she’d turned into a hellion in the first place. And if the team had to guess, it would have made sense if the woman had turned into a hellion the same day her village had been attacked and destroyed.

They were only kept waiting a second longer, and then the body suddenly let off a ‘poof’ and disintegrated into ash. Lailah turned her head away, letting off a small ‘tsk’ as her eyes fell downcast. Zaveid, crossing his arms over his chest, looked off and to the side, his lips stiff. But Edna, true to her nature, was the one to speak the truth,

“She was consumed by too much hatred. We probably couldn’t have saved her even if we got here decades ago.”

Mikleo immediately felt the sadness and regret in Sorey’s heart. And although Sorey’s kindness and true caring for others was a quality he loved about him, it was also the biggest reason Mikleo worried about him. He was afraid that Sorey’s big, fragile, heart would one day be wounded. 

_It wasn’t your fault,_ Mikleo immediately said to him in private. _It’s like Edna said, there was nothing we could have done. Please don’t burden yourself…_

But it was hard not to feel sorrowful for what happened. While he didn't blame himself for this - he knew the woman's malevolence would've been brewing for decades beforehand - he still felt like this was such a horrible way for someone to leave their world.

More than that, Sorey felt flabbergasted when he thought about how much hatred and despair a person's heart must hold for them to get to this point.

What could have happened to her to turn her into a hellion in the first place? What event in her life had summoned so much rage and sadness that her soul had given up on the chance of purification or redemption? The historian in him wanted to know. He wanted to know what made people like this beyond help.

Mikleo would've felt his troubles, and he would've been able to understand his thoughts. Sorey didn't mind. He hid nothing from the seraph.

 _I just...I don't understand, Mikleo,_ he said privately, eyes downcast. _I know that I've been sheltered back in Elysia, and I know there are a lot of things I don't comprehend about this world. I know, he continued. But...this is just sad. Maybe it's a good thing I don't understand how she became like this._

And indeed it was, for Sorey was the shepherd. The more pure and light-hearted he was, the better. The world was counting on him to remain as steadfast and as uncomplicated as he could get. And he knew dwelling on these thoughts didn't serve much of a purpose, either. What was done was done. No one could reverse time and change what had happened here, or to the woman before she'd changed. Sorey knew that.

He took a deep breath and tried to put it behind him, even though that was hard. Sorey always had a hard time when someone couldn't be purified.

 _I don’t understand either, and I’m sheltered too,_ Mikleo replied, doing his best to let his love know he wasn’t alone. _And I don’t think it has anything to do with you being a simple person. I just don’t think that light can understand dark, in the same way dark cannot understand light. Heldalf doesn’t understand us and our actions at all. He said so himself at Glaivend Basin._

He hoped he was bringing Sorey some comfort.

And Sorey, he continued. Just because you’re simple and good doesn’t mean you’re not complicated. You have deep thoughts and emotions. You think long and hard about others and the world around you. I know firsthand how much of you there actually is behind that silly smile of yours. So don’t sell yourself short.  
With them talking to one another privately, it left the other three seraphs in silence. Lailah at first looked concerned, worry overtaking her that Sorey might be falling into grief. But as soon as she went to take a step forward, Zaveid held out a hand to stop her.

“Don’t wear such a worried expression,” he said. “The two love-birds are just chatting each other up.” Turning he faced the armatized pair. “Aren’t you? Wanting to keep things private? Maybe a little steamy in there? It’s rude not to let the rest of us hear.”

“Uggh!” Mikleo’s revulsion was so powerful that a groan escaped their shared lips even though Sorey’s reaction wasn’t nearly as severe. “Zaveid!”

The wind seraph laughed outright, his white teeth flashing.

Mikleo's words were both comforting and sweet. Sorey needed to hear that. Sometimes Sorey struggled with his feelings, but as always, his water seraph companion knew exactly what to say to ease his worries.

And just when the Shepherd started feeling more like himself, Zaveid had to go and say something like that. If Mikleo hadn't been the one to protest, Sorey would've.  
"That's definitely not what we were talking about," Sorey said, arching an eyebrow at the wind seraph. He did his best to resist saying anything more.

 _We should probably de-armatize, though,_ he admitted, knowing they couldn't stay like this forever. _Thanks, Mikleo. You really do always know what to say. And I needed it._ The seraph would feel the warmth in his statement, he knew that for sure.

Mikleo did feel the affection. And for just a second, he stayed to bask in it. But then, he knew Sorey was right and that they should de-armatize. With a bit of a sigh, he and Sorey agreed, and let each other go. There was a brief ‘whoosh’ and then Mikleo reappeared at Sorey’s side, both he and the shepherd fully healed from their ordeals. He couldn’t help but to feel at least a little lonely though. He always did when initially separating from Sorey. To take his mind off of it, he faced the others. 

“A job well done,” Mikleo said to everyone in the group. “With the purification complete, Lowgrin and the surrounding desert area should be freed from malevolence, yes Lailah?”

Lailah took a moment to consider the question, and also use her powers to search the surrounding area for any lingering malevolence. But she was pleased not to find any.

“Yes,” she agreed. “The malevolence has lifted. All we’ll have to do now is find a seraph to bless this area.”

“We’ll do that in the morning of course,” Edna interrupted. “I’m tired. And we still have to trek all the way back across the desert in order to get back to the inn.”

The others agreed. Although the sun had just set, it would take them several hours to return. And after such a harrowing battle, they were already tired even without the extra traveling they needed to do. And so, after making sure everyone was ready to go, they started off.

 


	14. Chapter 14: Welcome to Tolrin

** Chapter 14 **

Welcome to Tolrin

The walk back to town was much faster than the walk out. After all, now they weren’t battling the sun or the exhausting heat. They also didn’t need to stop every so often in order to fight a hellion. With the source of the malevolence gone, all the hellions had disappeared with it. Plus, they already knew the way, having traveled it once before. And so, luckily for everyone, they made it back to Lowgrin fairly quickly.

After getting some food at the dining tent, they all headed back to the beds they’d been offered by the kind inn keeper only a few days prior. But it wasn’t until they’d all started getting ready for bed that Zaveid suddenly said,

“I’ll take first watch.”

For a moment, the other’s looked confused, and it was Mikleo that said,

“First watch?”

“Yeah, for your stalker Mikky.”

And it was only then that he remembered the suspected cause of his nightmares. With how eventful the day had been and with so many distractions, he’d almost completely forgotten that they supposed his nightmares were actually attacks thrust upon them by the enemy. And in remembering all of that, he of course remembered the pure horror he’d endured only the night before. His face fell.

“Oh…”

“Hey now,” Zaveid said while moseying over to him. “Don’t look so glum. Good ol’ Zaveid will be standing by. If anyone shows up,” lifting his hands, he cracked a fist into his open palm threateningly, “you bet I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.” He offered the water seraph a grin. “So you rest easy, ok Mikky?” Reaching out, he roughed up Mikleo’s head of white and blue hair. 

Instinctively, and because he never liked having his hair messed, Mikleo pulled away, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t appreciative. In fact, he felt quite warm and reassured by Zaveid’s kind words and offer to be the look-out. And so, even as he was flattening his hair back down, he addressed the wind seraph.

“Thanks Zaveid,” he said. “You’ve proven to be a really good friend. And I…I’m sorry I didn’t trust you with our secret before. I thought you were too goofy and unreliable to be trusted. You’ve done nothing but prove me wrong since you found out.”

Zaveid beamed, his teeth practically glowing white as he put his fists onto his hips.

“I am a good friend!” he agreed cockily. “And I’ll keep proving you wrong. I’m your biggest fan!”

Despite himself, Mikleo couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him.

“I’m not sure Sorey and I need fans.”

“Sure you do! And I’m number one. And as your number one fan, it’s my duty to catch this asshole that’s been giving you nightmares. Once that’s settled, you and Sorey can move forward with your romance because you’ll have long peaceful nights.”

A quick pink coloring came to Mikleo’s cheeks, but he didn’t protest like he usually did. Instead, he tried to focus on how appreciative he still felt. Zaveid may have been overly obsessed with personal relationships and sex, but he was still making it very clear that he was indeed the fantastic friend he claimed to be, despite how much he liked to gossip. And so, Mikleo responded simply,

“Thanks Zaveid.”

Sorey hadn't heard the conversation that took place between Zaveid and Mikleo. He'd been too busy getting dressed and ready for bed. He did, however, notice the slight blush on his boyfriend's cheeks as he nestled into bed with him. And despite the horrors they'd gone through that day, he couldn't help but feel like everything would be alright, so long as Mikleo could continue to be right there with him. 

They scooted closer together once the lights were off, and Sorey was happy to feel the water seraph's head resting peacefully on his chest. Sorey buried his face into his sweet-smelling hair, and decided to focus on the small things, the good things that he had going for him. If he could just grasp at the little blessings in his life, then he'd be able to overcome a lot of the pain he still felt from the inability to purify the hellion-woman they'd fought mere hours ago.

Some things were hard to forget. And although Sorey was able to push through and deal with a lot of things, that didn't mean he wasn't affected by what happened by acting as the shepherd.

That was the whole point, wasn't it? He knew from the beginning that things wouldn't be easy.

But again...if he could count his blessings, and rely on the beautiful seraph currently nestled safely in his arms, then everything would be alright.

He made a mental note to thank Zaveid the next day for taking the first watch. He may not have heard that conversation between Mikleo and the tattooed seraph, but he could tell the older man was doing his best to be supportive. And that meant a lot to Sorey.

The shepherd took another long, deep breath, and steadied his thoughts, and drifted off into a very peaceful and easy slumber. And thanks to everyone's help, there were no nightmares plaguing his love that evening. Mikleo slept through everything: even Sorey's drooling. It was a night both of them needed, and there was nothing nicer than waking up to find the seraph cuddled up against him, looking as peaceful and as beautiful as ever.

He definitely needed to thank everyone for what they were doing, for a moment like this was precious, and Sorey was unsure when they'd get another one. What if the nightmares came back?

Mikleo had slept through the night with no interruptions or night terrors. And in fact, it was one of the most peaceful nights he could remember. Curled up at Sorey’s side, his human scent in his nose and his warmth against Mikleo’s cool skin, he couldn’t imagine anything more pleasant. He felt so safe and whole when with Sorey, and as such, it was easy to drift off into a soothing slumber.

When morning came, he stirred when Sorey stirred, having had a good night’s rest for the first time in a long time. His amethyst eyes fluttered open as light came in through their tent walls and he felt Sorey move. Lifting his face, he smiled sleepily when he saw his boyfriend awake. 

“Good morning,” he said softly.

And just like that: any worry he may have felt about the nightmares vanished. Mikleo was gorgeous when he was soft and still clinging to the edges of sleep. He was so unfiltered, so natural, and so genuine right at that moment. His guard wasn't up, and he wasn't trying to look impressive or in control. 

He just was Mikleo. And that was beautiful.

Sorey smiled in like, and pulled the seraph closer to him, nuzzling into Mikleo's soft aquamarine hair. "Good morning," he said in like, smiling like a love-struck idiot, which he supposed he was.

Sorey pulled him in close and held him against his body. And the way he held him suggested that the shepherd simply didn’t ever want to let him go. Mikleo immediately loved the feeling of being needed, and so he curled his thin arms up and against Sorey’s chest. 

“I slept well,” he announced, just to make sure Sorey wasn’t worried about his nightmares. “I guess whoever was infiltrating my dreams couldn’t do so with Zaveid standing guard.”

Sorey hummed, closing his eyes as he basked in the moment.

"I guess so," he agreed, lazily running his fingers down Mikleo's neck, just for the simple sensation of it. "Well, maybe that means we're in the clear, so long as we have a guard," he said positively, even while being perfectly aware that they couldn't go on like that forever. The person needed to be caught, or scared off. One or the other. Zaveid had been a huge help, but that meant he'd be tired, and their team needed everyone at full strength if they were going to continue on their journey. Hellions only got stronger the longer they were on the road, and Sorey worried not just about Mikleo, but the other seraphs too.

The shepherd slipped a hand through the water seraph's aquamarine hair, loving the silky smooth feel of it.

"I'm glad you slept well," he said, changing subjects, and choosing to focus on how nice it was to have Mikleo's smaller, but toned body pressed up against his own. "I did too. It's nice being like this," he said, knowing his boyfriend would agree. If they could just have this without the threat of hellions...that would be even nicer.

Mikleo didn’t say it, but he thought the same things. It was their dream after all: to have a world of peace, where humans and seraphim could live together. And now that dream had a bigger and deeper meaning than before. They no longer had a choice about whether or not they could make it into a reality. They would have to.   
“It is nice being like this,” Mikleo admitted. “But we have to get up.” After all, a dream like theirs wouldn’t make itself real without help. And so Mikleo, as always, was the one to focus them back on the hard work before them. Sorey appeared slightly crestfallen as Mikleo sat up in bed, forcing himself to separate from Sorey’s warm arms, but he knew that was ok. As much as he loved it, they couldn’t indulge in just themselves. Others were relying on them: their seraph tea members, the people in the towns they traveled too, and even the hellions they purified. And so, Mikleo climbed out of bed and started to get dressed, and following his lead, Sorey did the same.

After everyone on the team was ready, they all converged just outside of the tent and in the rising desert sun. Meeting up with Zaveid for the first time since they awoke, Mikleo stepped over to his side.

“How did it go?” he asked. 

Zaveid appeared tired, but not overly so. He was a seraph after all, and although they certainly enjoyed their sleep, they didn’t need nearly as much as humans. For the most part they needed a few hours simply to replenish themselves spiritually and mentally, but without physical needs, they often times could go with far less than their human counterpart. 

“Good,” he replied. “I didn’t see anything strange. No one approached the tent, and I didn’t sense any malevolence at all. I’m betting whoever it was saw me standing here and decided not to even try.” But of course, it was too normal a response to match his personality, so quickly, it was followed up with a cocky grin and, “They must have been intimidated by my muscles and great bod!”

Mikleo let off a small chuckle.

“They must have been,” he said coolly.

With the others gathered around, everyone faced each other to determine what they should do next. And for the most part, since they’d been focusing on purifying hellions and finding out more about Heldalf, it only seemed natural to turn to Lailah.

“So Lailah, any sense about where the next concentration of malevolence is?” Sorey asked. 

Lailah let out a musical hum, then briefly closed her eyes. But after only a second or two she shook her head.

“No. I’m sorry but I don’t feel anything nearby. We’ve managed to travel through nearly all of the land at this point, and we’ve been purifying as we go. As such, there isn’t much left in the area.”

“Then after we find a seraph to bless this location, we’re left directionless.”

“Not necessarily,” Mikleo said, a hand to his chin as he pondered their dilemma. “We’ve gathered almost all of the iris gems. Because of that, we know a lot about Heldalf and his past. We never actually traveled to his home town, Tolrin, the one we keep seeing in the visions. If we did, we might be able to learn something more about him there.”

But as soon as Edna heard this, she let out a long moan.

“Isn’t that town up in the mountains that separate the Lowgrin area from the northern ice fields? That sounds like a huge exertion of energy.”

Zaveid grinned, “What’s the matter Edna? I thought you’d be happy. The town is up in the mountains! You’ll be surrounded by earth and rock. Besides, you’ve lived on a mountain most your life.”

“That’s Spiritcrest, this is a totally different mountain. Not the same.”

Turning to Lailah, Mikleo asked, “Tolrin is the correct town of Heldalf’s childhood right? I mean, it’d be nice to know since it’s several days away and we’ll be hiking up a mountain.” 

But as was her way whenever a question was asked of her that would require her to break her oath, Lailah suddenly grew wide eyed as she looked off to the side, a dumbfounded grin on her face.

“Oh look! A cute little lizard is sunning himself on that rock!”

Mikleo let out a snort. “That probably means we’re on the right track.” Turning as always to the leader of their group for confirmation, Mikleo rested his amethyst eyes on him. “What do you think Sorey? Is it worth checking out?”

Sorey crossed his arms in front of his chest, frowning as he thought it over.

"I think it's worth a shot," he agreed a few seconds later, still looking serious. "If we can find any pertinent clues that could help us win against Heldalf, it'd be worth the journey. I know we'll have quite a bit of ground to cover, and it's not going to be easy..." The shepherd uncrossed his arms then, his green eyes glimmering with determination. "But this could be an excellent chance for us to get one up on the enemy. And of course, understanding who he is, and how he got to be where he is, could be vital in the final battle. Let's do it." 

And the brunet's lips twitched upwards into a half-smile, not exactly looking forward to the arduous journey up the mountain, but determined to gather facts and historical information on their nemesis.

And so it was settled. The group spent most of the rest of the day finding a seraph to bless and look over the desert area before they left. But once they did, they bought themselves a new map and new supplies, and headed back out into the desert. The mountain path they needed was only a mile or so west of Lowgrin, and it would take them up the red, rock-faced cliffs that they’d been surrounded by the past few days. That path, according to the map, would take them out of the region and into their new one.

Once again they were forced to trek through the sand and the heat. But thankfully, their travels weren’t very long. After reaching the cliff face, they discovered a narrow opening in the clay-like walls. It wasn’t wider than two feet, and the path that led gradually upward through it kept the red walls on either side of them, blocking out the sun. They were forced to walk single file, but no one complained since it was instantly cooler. The scenery was bland however…since all they saw for hours was the back of the person in front of them. At one point, Edna grew so bored, that she started jabbing her umbrella forward into poor Mikleo’s back. And of course, the two wasted plenty of energy bickering about it.

Eventually, night fell, and the path they were on had only opened up ever so slightly in one area. They’d barely had enough room to pitch the tents, but made due somehow. With no animals to hunt in such a bland environment, none of the seraphs ate. Instead, they reserved all the food they had for Sorey so he’d have something in the morning as well. 

“I’m sorry…” Sorey apologized for what must have been the third time as he sat on a flat rock beside Mikleo. But Mikleo just scoffed.

“I told you to stop apologizing. We don’t have to eat, remember?”

“But you like eating with me,” Sorey said. “Even when we were kids, you never liked being left out.”

Mikleo sighed, his expression softening.

“I’m not being left out. The others aren’t eating either. If anything, you’re the one being left out…”

Sorey knew Mikleo was doing his best to make him feel better. And simply having his sweet consideration made that goal accomplished. As always, a warmth filled him as he gazed at the water seraph in the oncoming darkness.

The shepherd and his crew ducked into their tents after Sorey had finished eating. And not having forgotten their enemies bizarre attack on Mikleo’s well-being at night, Lailah offered to take the next shift. It was an easy job considering she only had two directions in which to look. And no one was surprised when no more night terrors were presented. The sun rose on time and with no harm to any of the team members. And in the morning, they all packed up their things and traveled onward.

After another half a day, the path finally began to change. It started to widen out further, and what was more was that the desert’s red clay started to give way to true dirt instead of just rock and sand. The dirt became soil, and the soil was moist. In it, small plants started to grow up out of the cracks along their path and in the walls on either side of them. And those walls started to change in color from red, to brown, then finally to a light, cool gray.

On the third day as they continued to climb up the side of the mountain, everyone noticed how their environment could no longer be called anything other than mountainous. The wind blew in cool and sweet against their skin and the smell of earth and water filled them. The path had widened out long ago, and now they were surrounded by tall pine trees, maples, shrubs, ferns, and flowers. They still followed a dirt path, but all around them there was beautiful, bright green spring grass. Little white flowers poked up out of the ground, and wildlife surrounded them. Birds sang both near and far, and more times than not someone spotted a chipmunk or squirrel rooting around for food in the leaves. 

“Oh, there’s a deer!” Lailah cried at one moment, grabbing onto Zaveid’s arm and pointing excitingly. “Oh, she’s beautiful!” And she was. The doe was slender and graceful as she lifted her head to gaze at the passing strangers. 

“She has two fawns with her,” Sorey noticed. And sure enough, two spindly little spotted fawns stumbled beside their mother. 

The mountain regent was peaceful, serene, and calming. There was no sense of malevolence anywhere, and they never ran into a single hellion. In fact, the entire journey was starting to feel like a trip out camping with friends, especially in the evening when they pitched the tents, started a fire, and cooked whatever they were able to hunt or gather over the fire. With the mountain forest all around them, there was no short supply of food. They often found good berries, roots, or mushrooms to eat, and hunting wasn’t difficult with abundance all around. They had rabbit one night, then deer the next. But finally, on the fifth day, they knew they were drawing close to their destination.

“It should be a fairly large town according to what we saw in the iris gems,” Sorey was saying to the team.

“Yes,” Mikleo agreed. “There was a huge stone wall surrounding it in the visions, and the town looked similar to Pendrago. Heldalf was some sort of general over an army of knights after all.”

Sorey kept his nose buried in their map for a while as the other’s looked all around for a large town. But they knew they couldn’t have been far off, for their path had become wide and there were carriage wheel marks in the earth along with horse hoof prints. The road was well traveled, and it was obvious merchants had come through recently. 

“Maybe we should’ve turned left at that fork a while back…” Sorey was mumbling to himself. But as he was, Mikleo lifted his nose into the air and inhaled deeply.

“Mmm…” he hummed closing his eyes. Lailah, stepping up beside him asked,

“What is it?”

“Fresh water,” Mikleo said. “And a ton of it. And it’s nearby.” Lifting his head and opening his eyes, he pointed. “That way.”

He confidently started to walk forward, stepping past Sorey in order to lead the group. 

“Sorey I think we should follow him,” Lailah suggested. “Where there’s fresh water, there’s people.”

The team moved onward, and it was only about ten minutes later that they came up over the crest of a grassy hill. And when they got to its top, they all let out gasps of awe and wonder. For their before them was a tremendous waterfall that stretched further left and right than any of them could see. There was a cliff face that rose up into the clear blue sky, and over its edge, for what seemed like miles in both directions, the water fell. It rushed downward over the mountain’s face, white, raging, and perfect. Mikleo followed a drop of it from the top all the way down, just to see how long it took to fall, and he counted an entire twenty seconds. The waterfall had to of been miles high, and even more so wide. 

At its base was a beautiful lake: clean, clear, pure, and a deep indigo blue. The water swirled and churned, mist and foam kicked up from the force of the waterfall above it. The mist was so thick in places that it seemed almost mystical as if it couldn’t possibly be real. And the sight was so magnificent that they were all struck speechless. 

On either side of the lake, rivers escaped its boundaries. And even without the powers of a water seraph, everyone could tell that this one waterfall fed the entire mountain and all of its plants and creatures.

“Wow…”

And right there before them, just on the lake’s shore, was the town of Tolrin. It stood tall and proud; and with its gray stoned walls, clearly made from the rock of the mountain around them, it fit right in. It clearly belonged. And with the green moss on its outer edges and the huge pine trees growing near it, it was also clear that it was old and had been there for hundreds if not thousands of years. It was an impressive size, but under the glory of the waterfall and lake behind it, it appeared as if it were a pea in a bowl of soup.

Mikleo, overwhelmed by the feel of the power of the rushing water all around him, could only mutter out a second, wonder filled, “wow…”

Sorey couldn't vocalize his own emotions any more eloquently than his boyfriend.

"Yeah, wow..." All the shepherd could do was stare. Such a place was beyond incredible, and even a human such as himself could feel the power behind the waterfall as well as the mountain. Sorey was content to watch it for several moments, absorbing the site as well as he possibly could.

"The records don't describe this place well enough," he finally said, speaking so softly most wouldn't be able to hear. "This place...it's..." But once again, words failed him.

The brunet took in a deep breath, loving the smell of the fresh, crisp, misty air surrounding them. And in looking back to Tolrin, Sorey was suddenly eager to head into town.

"We should go," he stated. "Head to town, see what's there." There was a sparkle back in his eyes. It'd be easy for the rest of the team to notice it. Sorey was excited; there was a beautiful new area and a great new town for them to explore and take in.

And...maybe there'd be an inn they could stay at.

That would certainly be nice.

"Everyone ready?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips, looking fresh and ready to go, despite their long journey. He was tired, and his feet hurt, and he was definitely sure he needed a bath. But his excitement took precedence over everything else.

Everyone nodded and let out hums of agreement. They were just as ready as their human counterpart to head to town. After all, seraphs grew tired and weary too, and after many days of travel and eating only what they could catch, everyone was excited to be at a legitimate town. And with Lowgrin being their last place of stay, it was only more relieving to see a place with buildings, walls, and hopefully restaurants. 

The team eagerly traveled forward. Upon approaching, they would see just how large Tolrin was. Its outer wall stretched thirty feet high, and it’s only entrance was that of a huge drawbridge. Luckily, that drawbridge was down for anyone to walk through, and it was clear by the aged looks of it that it hadn’t been raised in some time. The opening in the wall, large arch overhead, was big enough to fit a dragon through. As such, it was easy for carts and wagons to pass each other. Several band wagons were making their way in or out of the busy town, and several more people were on foot like the shepherd and his party. Everyone appeared friendly, and people waved at one another or said hello in passing.

“Sorey, Sorey!” Mikleo cried eagerly as they set foot on the wooden drawbridge and moved closer to town and into the hustle and bustle. And as if his tone of voice didn’t give him away enough, he also reached out a hand and grabbed excitingly onto the shepherd’s sleeve. “Ask the guard at the gate about the walls and the drawbridge! Tolrin appears very old, and the drawbridge clearly isn’t in use anymore. But they would have built the town with protection like this for a reason. There’s got to be tons of history here!”

“Oh God…” Edna moaned while rolling her eyes. “Here we go again…”

But Sorey ignored Edna's melodrama. The city was even more impressive up close than it had been far away, and the shepherd was just as eager as his seraph counterpart to learn as much as he could about the history of Tolrin. And so, he quickly beamed at Mikleo, then hurried over towards the nearest unsuspecting guard currently on duty.

"Hello!" Sorey said, his enthusiasm showing all over his youthful visage. He waited for the guard to register he was being addressed, and didn't start up again until he had made eye contact with the much older man. "I have a few questions about the history of this place," he said. "Do you have a moment?" He was doing his best to be polite. Mikleo was always chastising him, and telling him he needed to remember how to interact properly with other humans. He'd been doing a good job as of late.  
Today was no exception, apparently, for the guard smiled a bit and turned himself to face the young shepherd.

"I'm always happy to impart what information I do have to travelers," he said by way of greeting. "What would you like to know?"  
Sorey grinned, before eagerly pointing out the drawbridge. 

"How old exactly is Tolrin? And I can see that the drawbridge isn't used any more...but when did it go out of commission?"

And the guard happily delved into an explanation of the city, which had once been heavily fortified, much to both Sorey and Mikleo's delight. They learned that the town was indeed over a thousand years old, and had originally been a fortress in its early stages. They'd stopped using the drawbridge about fifty years ago, which was just a drop in the bucket of time for the city of Tolrin.

"But if you want to know more," and the guard knew the brunet did, by the way the young man leaned forward eagerly at that, "There is a large museum inside the city, as well as a library that houses many old historical documents. I can't pretend to know all of our city's great and impressive history, so if you want more details, I'd venture there," he said, only now eyeing Sorey's white cloak.

"And I'm sorry, but...could you be...?" And the salt-and-pepper haired man didn't need to finish the question, for Sorey knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Yes. I'm Sorey, the shepherd," he said humbly, not wanting to seem like a braggart or like...well, like he should be treated a certain way, even though that often happened when they came into a new city.

"Well!" the guard stated, clearly pleased and happy to have conversed with someone that was quite talked about around town. He also eyed the area near Sorey, wondering if he was actually looking at a seraph and not knowing it.

"You and your seraph friends should stay at one of our fantastic historical inns," he said. "We've got several, and they're quite lovely. Perfect for travelers who need a good place to rest and an even better place to eat," he said, patting his slightly rotund belly for emphasis. "Tolrin is a wealthy city, and the mountain and the waters provide us plenty of sustenance. I hope you all enjoy your stay here," and he did a funny salute, which made Sorey grin and nod in appreciation. "If you need a map, they sell those in the city's square," he finished, looking rather pleased with himself. An old dog like himself just got to talk to the Shepherd. Who would've thought? And he was interested in history! If only his grandson liked to converse like that.

And with a smile and a wave, Sorey and the rest of the troupe were off.

“He was informative,” Mikleo said happily as they made their way forward. “And I can’t wait to check out the library and museum!”

Edna started to groan again, but before she could even finish, Mikleo interrupted.

“Hey, that’s why we’re here,” he said. “To learn as much as we can about our enemy, remember? Heldalf was born and raised here, and according to the iris gems, he was a general here too. The library and museum will certainly have information on him, especially since the guard just told us this was a widely military based town until recently.”

“Ugh, _fine!”_ Edna conceded. “You two nerds can do all the reading and research you want. At the very least, it doesn’t feel like there’s much malevolence here. This’ll be like a sort of vacation for me. I plan on sleeping and eating eighty percent of the time.”

Sorey and the others didn’t feel much malevolence either, and all of them tuned in to pay attention to it for a moment. But as they searched with their senses, they found Edna was right. There was always a little in overpopulated areas such as this, just from the darkness people could have in their hearts, but past that, they didn’t sense much.

“How exciting!” Lailah chimed in. “It’ll be nice to be a little leisurely.”

Stepping through the stone archway and into town, everyone gaped once inside. The town was gorgeous. Appearing medieval in most ways, similar to Pendrago, Tolrin had a few distinct differences. For one, there were tall, old looking trees scattered throughout the town. The cobblestone streets appeared as if they were built around the ancient plants, and some of the tree trunks were as wide as an elephants behind. The buildings and shops were also similarly built around the plants, the town clearly having expanded around nature, instead of destroying it.

Another big difference was the color. Although Tolrin clearly used a lot of gray stone the same way Pendrago did, people here had hand painted signs, railings and even rooftops. There seemed to be a central theme around cool colors such as greens, blues and a few violets. Here and there were hints of yellow. The place was mostly shaded, thanks to the huge branches that spread out over them, and the smell of earth was almost as strong as the scent of water. 

“Mmmm…” Both Edna and Mikleo hummed pleasingly at once. Hearing it, they both turned and glanced at each other a bit dubiously. Zaveid laughed at their expressions. 

“The wind is strong here too,” he stated. “Right now it’s fine and peaceful, but I can already sense how strong the wind can become after it rolls down the mountain before or after a storm. I think these folks use the ancient trees as protection.” 

Lailah nodded in agreement. 

“Yes, that feels right,” she said. “I believe I am actually the weakest element here.” And on the surface, that appeared to be true, but what she didn’t tell the others was that she also sensed a huge, dormant, type of fire power to the area. But not knowing where it was coming from, and feeling as if the source of the fire was asleep, she decided not to mention it.

“Oh, look at all the restaurants!” Edna suddenly cried. “They’re everywhere!”

And indeed they were. As they walked down the shaded cobble stone streets, making their way by people and carts alike, they spotted several restaurants, and the smell of food in the air was spectacular. 

“Hmm…” Lailah hummed after smelling some good beef. All the members of the group seemed energized now and all of them were looking around with delight. It was clear to a person, even if they could only physically see the Shepherd, that they were travelers new to the area. And of course, with the way Sorey was, gazing eagerly from place to place, it was easy to pick him out of a crowd.

“You sir!” Called a voice from a cart off to the side of the cobblestone road. “You sir look like a tourist. Would you like some information on Tolrin?”

Turning to look the man’s way, the shepherd and his group found him standing just in front of a cart that read ‘Information.’ On the walls of the cart and along its counter there were pamphlets, maps, and a few books. Lailah looked to the man’s smiling face and quickly assessed him. Then she spoke to both Sorey and the group.

“I don’t sense any malevolence from him,” she said. 

“Me neither,” Mikleo responded. “And if that’s the case, we should definitely go ask. Some basic info and a map would suit us well.”

With the encouragement from both Lailah and Mikleo, Sorey hurried over towards the salesman and his wares.

"Hahaha, well, you're right," Sorey said. "We're tourists," he stated. "I'd love a map and any other basic information that you have available," he stated with a smile, totally unaware that he'd used the word 'we' without missing a single beat. The brunet also missed the curious little stare that the salesman gave him, but fortunately for Sorey, he didn't bother to correct him or question it. There was a paying customer, and the customer was always right.

"Of course, sir!" He said with enthusiasm, grabbing a very nice-looking map out of one of the stands, and then snatching up a pamphlet with the more basic information on Tolrin itself.

"This map will prove invaluable to you during your stay, sir," he continued. "It lists and very easily points out all of Tolrin's great attractions. We've many fine restaurants and quality historical inns, as well as museums and a library," he continued, unfolding the map to briefly show Sorey where he could find everything, before folding it back up.

"Thank you!" Sorey said with a grin, eager to get his hands on the paraphernalia. He paid the nice salesman for his wares, and then hurried over towards some benches underneath a rather large oak tree nearby, the seraphs following suit, his head in the map the whole entire time. It was a wonder he didn't stumble into someone - or something- while he'd been walking.

"Mikleo! Look, there's a great library close to this inn," he stated, pointing it out so everyone could see. "I don't think it's too far away..." And Sorey peered up from the map, scanning the town square before him as he tried to get his bearings.

"I think it's this way," he said, all the while looking in the direction of what he believed was the aforementioned attractions.

But Mikleo had his nose in a pamphlet too as he read up on Tolrin’s most famous attractions. And right there, plastered all across page one, were several things that sparked a water seraphs excitement.

“Sorey, they have several hot springs in the area,” he said. “And there’s access to the lake behind the town for spa treatments and swimming. There’s a lake beach, and even a few boat tours of some caves in the cliff face!”

He was practically drooling. 

Lailah clapped her hands together, her smile wide. “That all sounds so wonderful!”

Mikleo had listened to what Sorey was saying to him about the library and inn however, and quickly flipped to the inn section in his pamphlet to try and find the one Sorey was talking about. But before he could look it up, he was once again taken by the picture of the first inn shown on the first page of the section.

“Oh wow,” he hummed. “Sorey, we have to stay at this one.” Very eagerly, he thrust the pamphlet out to him, showing him the inn he was referring to. With both of them leading the party, and neither of them looking at anything other than reading material, it was almost comical that they hadn’t both tripped, fallen, or crashed into something.

“The Water Crest Inn near the back of town. It’s upper floors are built so the rooms have a view over the wall. We could have a spectacular waterfront view of the lake and the waterfall.” And of course, there was a beautiful color image of one of the most elaborate rooms at the inn, and it did indeed have a breathtaking view of the waterfall and lake. The ambiance of it was certainly in tune with the usual things Mikleo preferred. 

Sorey didn't know how it was possible, but he felt even more excited after Mikleo had pointed out his preferred inn.

"We have to stay at this one," he said as soon as he saw how lovely the rooms were...and how they overlooked the waterfall. It was right up Mikleo's ally, and Sorey felt like their group deserved several night's stay after all the horror they'd gone through lately. Fighting hellions was no easy task, nor was journeying through the desert.

"To the Water Crest Inn it is!" Sorey said, throwing a hand up into the air, narrowly missing punching a swinging overhead sign as he passed underneath it, which only made Lailah giggle in amusement and Mikleo sigh in exasperation.


	15. Chapter 15: It's a Date

** Chapter 15 **

It’s a Date

Mikleo, somehow as graceful as ever, was able to read and travel at the same time, side stepping holes or obstacles, swishing left and right. But Sorey had never been that way. And so, while reading and walking, Mikleo also somehow managed to keep an eye on his boyfriend. And whenever Sorey started to stumble toward something, he simply reached out a hand, grabbed Sorey’s sleeve, and yanked him out of the way.

“Watch where you’re going or you’re going to get hurt,” he scolded. But of course, as soon as he did, he realized how hypocritical he was being. And so, he promptly folded up his pamphlet and put it away. “I know it’s exciting being in a new area, but let’s save the reading for later and pay attention to our surroundings.”

Sorey, easily seeing what it was Mikleo was trying to do for him nodded.

“Ok,” he agreed, then folded up his own map. Then, once paper free, they started to travel much more safely. And of course, once they pulled their noses out of their reading material, they were treated with the sights, sounds and smells of Tolrin. They spotted several great shops they knew they’d want to explore later, a restaurant here or there, and even one of the hot bath houses Mikleo had mentioned. Everyone was excited to be there.

Finally, reaching the back of town, all five party members spotted the tall wall. And built just in front of it, was The Water Crest Inn. It was a big, elegant looking building. The outside of it was decorated with plaster in the shape of swirls and spirals, symbolizing waves coming off of its sides. And for just a moment, they all stopped to stare at it. Silence fell upon them, but that was only until Lailah’s face lit up with an almost crazed delight and she shouted a loud, “HA! I GET IT!”

Edna threw her hands over her ears as she and everyone else in the party turned to stare at her.

“Huh? Get what?”

“The building! The building itself is a pun! It-it-it’s-!” And she was so excited she needed a second to gather herself before continuing. “It’s covered in waves! A-and waves have crests! Like the crest of a wave! And the building is named The Water Crest Inn!”

Zaveid started laughing, but both Mikleo and Edna groaned.

Sorey was both happy and embarrassed with Lailah. The fire seraph was definitely considered the Pun Queen of the group, and such a...fantastic one as the Water Crest Inn was probably impossible for her to ignore. He was always happy that she found these small things amusing, but on the other hand, it got a little weird whenever she become so terribly excited over her puns.

Maybe he wasn't one to talk, though. He was like that with anything historical.

 _I guess we all have our obsessions,_ the shepherd thought, then letting himself laugh along with Zaveid and Lailah.

It felt good to relax and enjoy a moment with everyone. The whole team had been working so hard. Maybe Tolrin was just what they needed to take a break, even if they'd also be researching Heldalf while they were here. Sorey reasoned that was no real obstacle to their relaxation though, not if they didn't let it be.

He eventually stopped laughing, rubbing his eyes as it tapered off. Then, he took a look at the Inn before them.

"This place looks old. I wonder how old..." he said, but he didn’t bother to read the pamphlet that he knew would tell him what he wanted to know. Sorey wanted to see if he could figure it out for himself, based on its architectural style. He hummed to himself while looking over the stylized paintings of waves, appreciating the buildings aesthetic. But the shepherd was eager to get inside. "Let's go inside," he prompted, before leading the team in.

The team stepped into the building, and although it’s original structuring such as the stone and mortar were older, it was clearly kept up to date and new on the inside. The carpeting in the lobby was a beautiful deep, dark blue, with white wave patterns on top of it. It led up to the check in desk, which was beautifully polished oak wood. It was so polished in fact, it looked almost as if it were wet.

There was a large mural behind the check in desk of the waterfall, and it was so well painted and the lighting on it so spot on, it almost looked like a window to the outside. Adding to the illusion, were the many potted plants they had on either side of it. 

To their left, there was an open, arched doorway that led to what appeared upon a glance to be a rather large dining area. And the tables and chairs within were made of the same polished oak. To their right was a hallway leading to the rooms, and also a spiral staircase heading up through a tower to the upper halls.  
The woman at the front desk smiled at Sorey as he entered, her teeth white and dazzling.

“Welcome to The Wave Crest Inn,” she greeted. “Do you already have a reservation, or do you need to check in now?” 

"No, we don't have a reservation," Sorey explained, preparing to explain who exactly he was. That process was always a little nerve-wracking, just because he wasn't ever sure how people would take it. So he braced himself, and met the smiling woman's eyes directly with his own leaf green ones, and properly introduced himself.  
"My name's Sorey, and...I'm the shepherd," he said, pausing to let the woman absorb that information for a moment. "I'm traveling with my seraph companions," he added, wanting the woman to be sure she understood the inn would be housing more than just himself.

And straight away the woman’s face lit up with recognition and excitement.

“Oooh! The Shepherd! Wow! I’ve heard so much about you and your travels! And all of the amazing feats you’ve achieved! Well this is exciting! I never thought you’d visit a place like Tolrin! After all, we’re doing so well for ourselves even though I’ve heard horrible things are going on elsewhere in the world. Can I ask why you’ve chosen to visit us? I mean…surely you’re not here for the waterfall and tourist attractions, are you?” 

"You've heard about us?" Sorey said, feeling grateful, yet surprised. Somehow, it was always a surprise. Lailah had told him that news of the Shepherd would spread far and wide, but Sorey was still unprepared for the reception he was currently getting.

Not wanting to ruin the nice woman's pride in her hometown by stating that the greatest evil to humanity that could possibly ever exist came from Tolrin, and that he was trying to get dirt on the man, Sorey gave a truthful but less disturbing answer instead.

"I'm something of a history addict," he admitted. "And this place has lots of history," he stated. "I'm especially excited about the museum," he admitted, meaning every word of it.

“Oh?” The receptionist blinked in surprise. “So you are sightseeing?” Quickly, her original smile returned to her face. “Well there’s plenty here to learn about. Tolrin is over one thousand years old. If you like history, you certainly came to the right place. I can give you all the times and dates of our tours and set you up with a guide if you like. Or I can give you directions to the museum and library. But Shepherd, I do highly recommend our water attractions, even if they aren’t as educational. Our waterfall and lake are simply breathtaking. And the hot and cold springs bring longevity and health to those who bathe in them. And you definitely want one of the boat tours through the caves. It’s a little spooky and always exciting!”

She gestured to a rack of pamphlets and brochures beside her.

“We have information on all of those things. So after you settle in, you can come back down and peruse all of our information guides. They’re free of course. And if you’re hungry, we always have a chef on staff in the dining hall to your left. Or if you wanted something a little different, we have many high quality restaurants in the area. As you can imagine, Tolrin specializes in freshwater food. My favorite is the trout.” 

And Mikleo couldn’t help himself after hearing that, he let off a quiet, ‘mmm…trout…’

Boat tours? Through the caves? It was as if Sorey kept finding things to get ridiculously excited about. And he voiced that with enthusiasm.

"Really!? There's tours through the caves?" And all he could think about was how much Mikleo would like that. And how it'd be nice...if maybe the two of them could get a boat just for themselves.

He hadn't missed Mikleo's hum about the fresh trout, and looked to his side where the seraph stood. Sure enough, there was a sparkle in his eyes that Sorey knew meant he was...well, not hungry, since seraphs didn't feel that particular need, but...it was more like, he wanted to eat. And of course, once he thought about how nice it'd be to have a good meal, Sorey's stomach rumbled rather loudly.

He blushed, flushing pink almost all the way up to his cheeks. "Ahahah, well...maybe we'll take a look at your dining hall first. We've been on the road for some time, and that trout sounds...appetizing," he said, rubbing his hair in an embarrassed fashion.

“Sure thing!” The receptionist said. “With it being spring and still a little chilly out, tourist season hasn’t started yet. We’ll have plenty of rooms for some time, so don’t worry about needing to reserve anything. Help yourself to anything you’d like.”

The woman gestured to the information again, and Mikleo, always hungry for more knowledge, indeed helped himself. Walking over, he picked up several pamphlets, which of course, caused the receptionist to jump back in alarm, as she let out a little gasp. 

“Wh…what…what’s happening?”

Mikleo, without ever even lifting his head from the new info he was reading responded a bit sourly in Sorey’s direction.

“It’s because you never introduced us properly,” he scolded. “That’s why she’s so surprised.” It was well within Mikleo’s character to chastise Sorey for such a thing, but this time…he seemed just a little more sour than usual, his tones holding a bit more bite. 

Suavely, it was Zaveid that leaned casually in over the shepherd’s shoulder.

“FYI, your shepherdness, dating 101: when you have a boyfriend, you should probably tell people. Especially if your boyfriend is invisible.” 

Sorey winced. He'd made a mistake.

 _Uh-oh... I'm such a dolt,_ he thought, chastising himself for a second. He'd been so caught up with everything that he hadn't even realized he was neglecting something. Everything was just so exciting, and...well, he had to fix it.

"I'm sorry," he said, making eye contact with the nice receptionist, and then glancing over towards Mikleo and his slurry of pamphlets.

"I didn't introduce you to my boyfriend, or the rest of my companions," he stated somewhat woefully, clearly aware that he'd made a blunder, but doing his best to fix it.

"Mikleo, my boyfriend and water seraph, is also a history buff like myself. He's the one who took the pamphlets," he said, gesturing his arms out towards the disgruntled seraph.

"And we have Zaveid, the wind seraph," he said, gesturing to Zaveid, who was still (thankfully) by Sorey's side, "and we also have Lailah, a fire seraph," and he then spun to gesture to her, and she curtseyed as if the receptionist could see her. "And lastly, but certainly not in the least, there's Edna, an earth seraph." And he paused and waited to see what the lady would do. He was used to getting strange stares, but...people were catching on to his story. The receptionist had said she'd heard about him before, so...maybe this wouldn't be too awkward.

The receptionist blinked, looking totally befuddled and a little awkward. A slight rosy color came to her cheeks and as she stood up just a tad taller, she glanced briefly at the area where the pamphlets seemed to be floating. 

“I…oh,” she said. “I’d heard about your seraphim party members but I uh…didn’t know you were dating one of them. And uhh… _he_ did you say?” She glanced to Sorey, then back to the floating pamphlets, then back to Sorey again, the color in her cheeks deepening as a bit of giddiness seemed to start taking over. 

Mikleo had stopped reading his materials some time ago: as soon as Sorey introduced him as his boyfriend. Sorey had never referred to him with such a title before, and he hadn’t been expecting it. After all, Mikleo had only chastised him as always for not having manners. He hadn’t heard Zaveid’s whispered advice, and so he hadn’t known it was coming. 

The first time Sorey said it was surprising enough, but when he said it a second time, a quick flush came over Mikleo’s face. Clutching the pamphlets to his chest, he felt the same butterflies he had been feeling before, reemerge. And he was surprised at the suddenness and intensity of how much he _loved_ hearing the new title out loud. For just a second, he allowed himself to bathe in that feeling. But then, he knew he had to do his job. And that job was of course, to protect Sorey, no matter what.

“S…Sorey,” he muttered after clearing his throat, his cheeks still pink. “You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. W…we should think of your reputation as the Shepherd. Not everyone will understand what we have…” Mikleo didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. His sentence clearly meant two things: people wouldn’t understand that Sorey was with another boy, and also, that a human could date a seraphim. Both ideas were a little outlandish.

But Sorey didn't care. He stepped closer to the flustered seraph, looking at the other young man directly into his amethyst eyes.

"I don't care what other people say, or what other people think," he said earnestly. "I want to call you that. If they have a problem with it, with _us_....then that's their problem," he said softly. "I'm not hiding our relationship," he finished, then flashed Mikleo a bright smile, as positive as ever.

He had no idea how much Mikleo really liked being called by his new title, but he did know that it made his boyfriend happy. And he also knew that, in his way, Mikleo was trying to protect him.

But what was all of this for, if he and his love couldn't live in a world, side by side, together, the way they dreamed? That was Sorey's ultimate goal. To do that, they had to fight hellions and take on Heldalf. And if it also meant he had to fight prejudice or ignorance, well...Sorey would do that too. But hiding how important Mikleo was to him wasn't an option. They deserved to have security and happiness with each other. He believed that other people would see their goodness together, and learn to accept it, even if they initially didn't understand that. They could call him naive all they wanted...but Sorey was in love. And he truly believed their love would conquer all.

As Mikleo stared up into Sorey’s forest green eyes and as he listened to his romantic words, he couldn’t help the sudden pounding that started up in his chest. He just couldn’t deny how much he loved Sorey’s determined defense of their relationship. He’d said it in a way that didn’t leave it open for discussion or debate, it was simply: I’m not hiding our relationship. Period. And now of course, Sorey was standing so near him, his face no more than a few inches from his own.

Mikleo clutched the pamphlets even more tightly to his chest and he felt the heat in his cheeks increase. He knew his blush was getting worse. Embarrassed, for he knew the others were watching, even if the receptionist couldn’t see, he quickly turned his head to the side to try and hide his coloring. Then, as was his way, he replied matter-of-factly. 

“If that’s what you want to do,” he said. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. And don’t blame me when you start getting into trouble.”

Sorey grinned, knowing that he'd succeeded in convincing Mikleo. The water seraph protested in such a way that _sounded_ negative, but Sorey knew better. He was just flustered.

With that settled, he looked back to the receptionist, who...was blushing and making the same face that Lailah made whenever she either encountered a rolly animal, or made a very bad pun. It was...an excited face, Sorey supposed, which didn't make any sense.

"Anyway," he said, trying to revert to a more polite manner. "Thanks for all of the pamphlets," he said gratefully, "and for all of the information. We'll be back later to check in with our rooms. But for now..." And the brunet then turned to face the general direction of the dining hall, throwing his hands up in the air. "Let's get some food!" he said, his green eyes sparkling with anticipation. He was hungry. He was a growing young man and he wanted something with a lot of protein in it. And if this place was half as good as what the pamphlets said, Sorey knew they'd be in for quite a treat.

The group headed into the dining hall. And as would be expected from the fancy lobby, they found an equally fancy dining room. The place was huge, with tall vaulted ceilings. There were dozens of tables inside, more than enough to accommodate every guest if the inn had been full. And with the time being a little off for meals, for it was just after lunch, the dining hall was mostly empty except for one or two other tables farther away.

They all sat down. Once they did, they poured over the menus, which were of course, huge with choices to make. They had some difficulty, except for Mikleo who already knew he wanted to try the trout, but eventually decided on what it was they wanted. After ordering, Mikleo spread the pamphlets out over the table and started reading all of them as the others took up small chat. And as he explored, he found that most of the things in Tolrin sounded really fun, and like Sorey had thought earlier, he decided he wanted to take part in almost all of them. 

He knew they had to try both the cold and hot springs. And they’d have to swim in the lake at least once. And the boat tour around the waterfall and through the caves was a must. And of course there were the restaurants, museums, libraries and even a ghost tour after dark. He knew they’d be skipping that one. Not that he was afraid of ghosts of course. 

After skimming over the material, Mikleo slowly lifted his gaze to Sorey who sat beside him. Sorey was currently chatting with the others, a light, cheerful smile on his face. His green eyes were as bright as ever, and Mikleo could see the excitement on him from simply being in a new area. He was cute, just the way he always was when being happy and being himself. And suddenly, in thinking of all the things this town had to offer and the types of activities that were available to them, Mikleo got a sudden idea that he knew he would _have_ to pursue.

“Lailah,” Mikleo said, interrupting the conversation abruptly, but never taking his eyes off of Sorey’s face. “How irresponsible would it be if we held off on our research for today and deviated from our mission until tomorrow?”

The question was odd, and the others glanced Mikleo’s way in confusion. After all, it was usually Mikleo himself that kept them all on track, reminding them of their duties and their quest. And so to hear him talk of delaying those things was strange.

After just a second of silence, Lailah responded, “I guess it would be alright if we waited a day,” she said. “Heldalf hasn’t been seen in quite some time, and although there’s always a chance he could do something drastic again, like the war between Rolance and Hyland, the chances of it happening today or tomorrow are slim.

Especially since we now know he’s focused on us and our party.”

Mikleo nodded, as if giving himself permission for something. 

“Then what do you guys say to taking a break? There’re so many things in Tolrin that sound fun and exciting. It’d be a shame to stay in the library the entire time and not try any of them.”

“Yeah!” Zaveid immediately cried, clearly excited about the prospect of having fun. “That’s more like it! Glad you wised up and are cutting loose for once Mikky boy!”   
“No complaints from me,” Edna agreed. “We passed a mud house on the way here. I’d like to try that.”

And of course, Lailah couldn’t be upset about the delay either. The hot springs that kept coming up in conversation were made from lava flows beneath the earth’s crust after all. And she’d like to try anything involving heat. 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea Mikleo,” she said, a smile on her face. “So, which of these things should we do first? You’ve read all of them right? Which is your favorite?” 

But as Lailah leaned over the table to take a look at the brochures, Mikleo glanced away and off to the side, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well I didn’t mean for us to do these things together as a group,” he confessed. “It sounds like everyone wants to do something different anyway. So I thought we might all split up for the day and do what we wanted. Then we can all meet back here after dark in order to check in and get our rooms.”

Sorey's heart skipped a beat. This was...another opportunity to be alone with Mikleo! He had no idea if that's what the seraph was implying or not, but he hoped it was. He'd thought it before, but the idea of taking Mikleo out on the boat tour was both warming and exciting. It'd be a perfect opportunity for them to develop their romantic relationship a little further. When else were they going to have an opportunity like this? Sorey couldn't pass it up.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Sorey said, feigning innocence, like he wasn't thinking about setting up a date with his boyfriend. "I'd love to go on that bout tour," he stated. "Mikleo?" he questioned, smiling at the seraph seated next to him. It was a clear invitation, and the shepherd knew the implication wouldn't be lost on his highly intelligent boyfriend.

Mikleo couldn’t help it when a smile started to spread over his pale lips. He’d thought he’d have to explain to Sorey, once they were away from the others, what it was he was really after. But it seemed he didn’t have to. Sorey wanted the same thing, and he’d understood what it was Mikleo was trying to do.

“You read my mind,” he said coolly, his smile only spreading at his double meaning. He felt the butterflies start up in his chest again, and as Sorey and Mikleo stared at one another, it became hard to not understand exactly what it was the two boys were setting up. Zaveid’s orange eyes lit up with sudden understanding and delight overcame his face as his usual wide grin swept over his cheeks. 

“ooOOO!” he cried, banging a hand down on the table top in front of him. “You guys are going on a _date!”_

Mikleo let off an exasperated sigh.

“Thank God no one in the room can hear you except Sorey…” 

As always, he could count on Zaveid to be obvious and also loud. At any other time, Sorey would've winced or at least felt a little uncomfortable with the wind seraph's boisterous attitude, but not today. Not right that minute.

Because it was the truth: he did want a date with Mikleo. And also, because he was proud of the fact that he could go on a date with Mikleo.  
And as such, Sorey just grinned broadly in response, before proclaiming it.

"Yes! That's exactly what I want," he said, meeting Mikleo's amethyst gaze with his own steady one. They both wanted the same thing...and for once, it looked like maybe they'd get it.

Mikleo, of course, wanted the date too. After all, it was his idea. All the same, he wasn’t the type to be so open about his romance the way Sorey was, he was much more reserved. And so, embarrassed yet again, he put a hand to his face as a rose-tinged color came to his cheeks. 

“I was _trying_ to be discreet,” he groaned. 

“At least _I’m_ appreciative of that,” Edna grumbled from her seat whilst drumming her fingers on the table top. “Where’s the food? That’ll shut every one up.”  
And as soon as she said it, the waitress arrived back at the table with everyone’s food.

“Here you go,” she said with a grin. “Let’s see if I remember everyone, that is assuming none of your are playing a trick on me by switching seats while I was gone.”  
“Ooo, we should do that at the next inn!” Zaveid said. But the waitress, not hearing him, of course continued on with serving.

“I have the lava cakes for Lailah, the mud pie for Edna, the duck for Zaveid, and the trout for Mikleo.” And the waitress had a good memory, for she put all of the dishes down in their correct places and in front of the correct seraphs. 

“I’m impressed,” Mikleo said. After all, it was rare to have a waiter or waitress first off, bother to ask where everyone was seated and what their names were, and then secondly deliver the food to the correct person. The waitress knew she did well, and turning to Sorey with a grin, she then delivered him his food as well.

“Here you are shepherd, please let us know if there’s anything else you or your friends need from us. We’re honored to have you visiting Tolrin.”

Sorey's mouth started to water the instant he saw the duck and potatoes in front of him. It was a common bird, but it was delicious, and Sorey loved the way it tasted compared to chickens and pheasants, and so, like Zaveid, he hadn't been able to resist ordering it.

"Thank you," he addressed the waitress as the plate was set in front of him, his hunger growing even as he took the time to go through the polite motions that he knew were so important, since he was the shepherd and also, because it was good to be polite. "You got everything exactly right!" And he beamed with delight. "That's impressive! And this duck looks amazing. We're very happy to be here," he said with a smile. This was apparently enough for the waitress, so she then took off, looking rather pleased with herself as she went over towards another table.

And then, with that, Sorey started to cut into his duck, and tasted a bite. His eyes fluttered closed and he hummed with delight. "My compliments to the chef," he said, then turning to look at his boyfriend. "The trout looks good too. Everybody happy?" he asked, looking around the table, hoping that everyone else was enjoying their meal just as much as he was. 

He got a chorus of “yes” as he asked his question. But of course, no one talked after that, for they were all too busy enjoying their food. 

Afterward, when everyone was full and satisfied, the team was eager to enjoy their day off. Gradually, they started to rise from their seats, stretching, and adjusting themselves. 

“Well I’m heading to that mud house. See ya,” Edna said unceremoniously, then immediately turned and walked away, twirling her umbrella. Zaveid, seeing an opportunity, of course turned to Lailah, an inviting grin on his face. 

“M’lady, care to join me in the sauna?” 

“I believe the sauna is designated into separate areas for men and women Zaveid,” she informed him. But he was hardly deterred.

“The hot springs then?”

Lailah almost giggled.

“I think you’ll have the same issues there Zaveid.”

“Then perhaps a lovely lady like you would enjoy a full body massage? We passed a massage parlor on the way here.”

Lailah smiled politely. Then, casually said,

“Why don’t we start somewhere easier and less invasive? Let’s take a carriage ride around the city.”

Zaveid bowed, then held his elbow out to the fire seraph.

“As you wish.”

Then the pair was off, leaving Mikleo and Sorey alone in the dining hall. Mikleo glanced Sorey’s way briefly, a fond look overcoming his face. Then he rose from his chair. As proper as ever, he pushed it back in behind himself. Then after dabbing at his lips with his napkin, he placed it back on top of his empty plate. Turning to Sorey, the same fond expression came back over his features.

“So, are we ready?” he asked. And now that they were alone, his vivid violet eyes seemed to already be shining more brightly.

Oh, Sorey was ready. He wiped at his own face, his green eyes never leaving Mikleo's. And in just a second, he was on his feet and eager to get going.

"Yes!" he said, unable to contain the excitement he felt. They were going on a cave tour. A boat cave tour. With just the two of them. On a date. It was happening, and the shepherd was...

Well, Sorey was a lot of things, but mainly he was just excited. He reached down and clasped one of Mikleo's hands in his own, smiling brightly, and gave it a squeeze. Even before they were dating, the two young men had been fond of physical touch. Sorey wasn't going to stop that just because they were in a restaurant. 

Besides...everyone else in the restaurant would just see him grabbing at thin air.

"Let's go, Mikleo!" And his feelings were palpable. They didn't need to armatize for Mikleo to feel his joy in that moment.


	16. Chapter 16: A Boat for Two

** Chapter 16 **

A Boat for Two

The day was perfect and beautiful as they stepped out of the inn. The sun was high and the sky was a flawless blue without a single cloud or smudge in it. The huge tree limbs above them glimmered green with their full leaves as the sunlight flittered through. And the air was cool, crisp, and carried the clean, invigorating, scent of fresh water. 

Mikleo inhaled deeply, filling himself. Although he already felt so full in spirit that he doubted he could get any higher. He was so happy and so excited to be out on a date with Sorey that he thought he might burst. But of course, as cool and stoic as ever, no one would really be able to tell from his outward appearances. No one but Sorey anyway. And that was fair, since no one but Sorey could see him as it was.

The boys were still holding hands, and the butterflies in Mikleo’s chest fluttered furiously as he gave Sorey’s hand an extra squeeze. Looking to him, his eyes shining, he lifted his free hand and pointed.

“The brochure said it was this way,” he said. “There’s an exit in the back wall of Tolrin that lets us through to the lake. I can’t wait to see the waterfall up close!”

Mikleo couldn’t know it, but butterflies were in Sorey’s chest too, especially when the water seraph looked at him like _that._ Sorey was just certain that Mikleo had no idea how beautiful he actually was.

The two made their way through the town. Exploring the streets, they headed toward their destination. But with it being a day off and with them being on a date, they were in no rush. They stopped at a few booths along the way to look at the goods that were being sold. They’d occasionally pick things up, or turn them over. And Mikleo had spooked a few shop owners by doing so, making it appear as if items were floating in mid air. Both Mikleo and Sorey laughed a few times as they traveled through the streets together holding hands: for to the humans around them, it appeared as if Sorey was holding onto nothing, and talking to himself.

“They probably think you’re crazy,” Mikleo said amused. “Unless they recognize you as the shepherd of course.”

But they didn’t bother to stop or explain themselves. Not today. For today, they were focused solely on each other. And during this day, they were only Sorey and Mikleo, not the shepherd and his water seraph. 

Making it to the back wall, the two found the exit spoken of in the brochure. The exit was similar to the entrance: it was large and originally had two huge wooden doors covering it. But also like the entrance, it appeared as if this back entranceway was always open now, and it was just as popular as the entrance. Many people were coming and going, both tourists and natives alike. The lake and waterfall was clearly a highly desired area to be.

Sorey and Mikleo walked through. Coming out on the other side, they both let out gasps of wonder. The lake and waterfall were far more impressive up close than far away. The waterfall, and the mountain it blanketed, was so huge up close that they couldn’t even see to the ends of it. It towered over them, stretching so high into the blue sky that it wouldn’t be hard to imagine its peak in space. And the lake itself shimmered brilliantly in the sun. Its waters were crystal blue, the water clearly as pure as could be having come from the mountaintop. The grass along the shore was a bright spring green, and Mikleo couldn’t help but to compare it to Sorey’s eyes. It was nearly the same exact shade. 

“Wow…” he whispered. 

The pair had stopped just after coming through the door, as such, people were walking around them. Ahead of them along the path, they spotted a sign offering directions. There were arrows pointing to the lake, beach and cold springs to their right, and the boat tours and hot springs to their left. Wanting the boat tour above anything else, they headed down the path to the left. After only a short while, they found a small crowd of people gathered near a dock on the lake shore. There was a large sign above the dock that read “boat tours.”

After waiting in line for a few minutes, it was their turn to reach the entranceway. There they were stopped by an attendant taking money for tickets. The young man looked to Sorey and said, “One?”

Mikleo stared straight ahead, never giving himself away. But even with one glance to his side, Sorey could see the barely noticeable differences on his boyfriends face. His amethyst eyes held a hidden amount of sudden expectance in them, and the corner of his mouth looked like it wanted to rise, even though at the moment Mikleo refused to allow a smile to surface. At least…not until Sorey said the words he was waiting for.

"Two," Sorey corrected, smiling softly. The attendant looked confused, looking around Sorey for a second person. But of course he couldn't see Mikleo. The shepherd almost explained, but didn't. This entire event was just about himself and his boyfriend.

The attendant started to ask again, raising an eyebrow in his bewilderment. But Sorey just simply smiled, before looking down at Mikleo's hand, and gave it a squeeze in his own, his green eyes sparkling.

"Two," he repeated, looking very joyful and pleased with himself. And that's when the attendant got it.

"Oh!" he started. "You're the Shepherd! Yes, my cousin told me..." and he looked to where he thought Mikleo was. "And that means your date is Sir Mikleo," and the young man looked very pleased with himself for being so in-the-know.

"We're very happy to have you both here!" he said, then did a jaunty, funny salute, clearly excited to be in the presence of such an honored guest.

"You will enjoy the cave tour, sirs! Here are your tickets," and he held one out for Sorey, who looked delighted but also bewildered. Then, he held one out to where he thought Mikleo was too. It would be rude, very rude, of him to act like the water seraph wasn't here. After all, his cousin Emily, who'd been the waitress at their inn, told him all about the Shepherd and his team. They were here to relax and enjoy their beautiful city of Tolrin, and so he would make sure they enjoyed their time in the cave tour.

Mikleo had been happy enough when Sorey said the word ‘two’ to the attendant. And he’d been more than pleased to simply bask in the warm feeling he got when Sorey took his hand and gazed at him in such an affectionate way. But then even more took place: the attendant somehow knew about him, perhaps word got around town quickly from the keeper at the inn. He wasn’t sure, but Mikleo almost didn’t even know how to respond when the attendant called him by name, _looked_ at him, and held a ticket out to him.

Mikleo blinked, flabbergasted, his purple eyes wider than usual. He was so used to being invisible and nearly non-existent to everyone except Sorey that he was almost a little embarrassed at being called out into the world with everyone else. He just wasn’t accustomed to interacting with anyone other than Sorey.

“I…umm…thank you,” he muttered, already feeling silly because he knew the attendant couldn’t hear him. Reaching out, he took is ticket gingerly in his free hand. And of course to the young man in front of him, and everyone else around them, that ticket appeared to be floating. That caught a few more people’s attention, and suddenly Mikleo found himself part of a universe he’d only ever been able to observe before. He glanced around at the other people, and seeing them looking at him, or rather the floating ticket, a quick flush came to his pale cheeks. It felt like they could see him.

“Sorey…” he said feeling suddenly overwhelmed. But even so, even while feeling a little embarrassed and overwhelmed, he couldn’t remember ever being happier. This felt like…the closest he and Sorey had ever come to their dream of making the world a place where humans and seraphim could live together. With the other humans suddenly aware of his presence, he felt…real. And he’d just had so many nightmares about being invisible and disappearing that being a part of the same world as Sorey nearly threatened to make heat come up behind his eyes. Quickly he fought the tears. He couldn’t cry now. Not when it felt like the other humans could see him for the first time in his life.

Mikleo didn't need to explain: Sorey understood, for he'd felt the warmth rising from his chest at such an action, too. He dreamed - they both dreamed - of a world where he and Mikleo could do things like this every day together. He dreamed of a world where his love would be addressed properly, where he could be recognized and appreciated for what he was, and all he was doing to help save the world. Mikleo was a hero, and most people didn't even know it. But maybe...maybe...some things were already starting to change, somehow.

He wordlessly slipped his arm around Mikleo's waist, then looked back to the young attendant. 

"Thank you," he said. "It's...incredibly nice to have both of us recognized," he explained simply. The youth smiled, looking pleased with himself, albeit absolutely clueless as to how much his simple gesture affected the water seraph he'd just interacted with.

"You're both welcome!" he responded pleasantly, before explaining to the couple what they needed to do next. "Now, just present both of your tickets to Ari over there," and he pointed at another young attendant, who was waving customers towards their boats, "and you'll be on your way," he said. "I hope both of you enjoy your cave tour!" and he gave the couple a polite bow before turning to address the next people in line.

Sorey and Mikleo headed over towards the next attendant, his hand now back to cupping Mikleo's. "Maybe things are already changing, Mikleo," he said softly, his green eyes warm and pleased, searching the seraph's face for clues as to how he was feeling. Sorey knew how much that simple gesture had meant to him. And Sorey wanted more of that for Mikleo.

Mikleo was still reeling. But when Sorey spoke to him he answered, “yes,” he agreed. “Things are already changing. I just never thought…I never imagined that…” He was still working through his emotions, so it was difficult to articulate his words. But after taking a second to breathe, he tried again. “Ridding the world of malevolence and stopping Heldalf is important, of course. And the world needs a huge change like that. But I never thought something as simple as changing our title could make such a huge difference for us personally.” 

Turning, he glanced Sorey’s way, fixing his amethyst eyes on his emerald. 

“I didn’t think we could change our own world and the world around us simply by being ourselves. I thought we had to do something huge and drastic, such as taking down the Lord of Calamity.”

Sorey smiled, meeting Mikleo's gaze. "I know what you mean," he replied, taking a quick breath. "Today's been...incredible," he stated. "Everyone who knows about us has been...really awesome," he admitted, swinging their arms a little as they moved. "It's hard to believe, but I'm definitely feeling it.” 

He looked away then, looking towards the attendant that they were slowly approaching. "I guess the world can see what we have is good," he suggested. "And they're responding to it," he said, thinking about all the times Lailah said that the shepherd did have great influence on the people. Could that extend to something like this? He wasn't sure, and he had a feeling if he asked Lailah about it, she'd suddenly find a really interesting bug to go study.

“Either way," he said, smiling again at his boyfriend. "I'm glad for it. We needed a day like this, and it's not even close to being over!" and his excitement was nearly palpable.

Mikleo smiled. 

“Yes,” he said simply. Moving down the dock it was hard not to notice the beauty around them. Moving further over the water, the couple could see how crisp and clear the lake truly was. And with the waterfall in front of them and all around them due to its size, the mist it kicked up was so thick it almost appeared as if the second half of the lake was covered in clouds. The cliffs, clouds, water, and clean smell reminded Mikleo of home, and as he thought of home, he thought of Gramps. Fondness filled him, and he suddenly had an urge to rush back home to Elysia and announce to Gramps the change in his and Sorey’s status. He just knew in his heart how overjoyed Gramps would be for them.

Reaching the end of the dock, Sorey and Mikleo found their attendant, Ari. She was standing before the very first boat in the line wearing a red vest. It appeared as if there would be three boats in total per tour. The boats were small and would seat about four across in each row. Each contained five rows, but the last row had a boat man in it who was in charge of rowing and steering. So the numbers came out to be about sixteen people per boat with a total of forty-eight per tour.   
They were already loading up the two boats behind them, and Ari, with a kind smile, gestured to the front row for Sorey and Mikleo.

“Welcome to the boat tours,” she greeted cheerfully. “Tickets please.” She reached out to take Sorey’s, but that was when she noticed the floating one being offered to her at the same moment. Her gray eyes widened with shock.

“Gah!” she cried, startled. “Wh-wh-what on earth!” 

But they were used to such reactions. It had happened a few times already that day; as such, neither young man was particularly bothered by it.

"My boyfriend, a seraph, is handing you his ticket," Sorey said, his green eyes twinkling. The attendant known as Ari instantly flushed.

"O-oh!" And she laughed nervously for a second, flushing a deep pink. "Ahahah, my apologies! You must be the good Shepherd Sorey and Sir Mikleo," she said, taking the water seraph's ticket and giving him a bow.

"I just- I wasn't-" but then she coughed, righting herself and fixing her demeanor, standing up straight as an arrow.

"Welcome to the cave tour, esteemed guests!" Ari said in an almost comically polite way in her efforts to do right by the youths. With a wave of her hand, she directed them towards the front row on the boat. "Please take your seats," she said. "I've heard that you are both into history. As such, you'll definitely enjoy the cave tour! There are many stories, with some of them having origins dating back hundreds of years," she explained proudly.

"Thank you," Sorey said simply, a little amused by her efforts. He looked to Mikleo to see what he thought.

Clearly, the young man who'd given them their tickets wasn't the only person to have heard about them. Word did indeed get around fast.

When Sorey looked to Mikleo, he found him clearly amused. The water seraph had a hand curled by his chin, a grin on his face and a shine in his eyes as he chuckled quietly. But then it was time to get on the boat. Mikleo got on first so that he could sit near the edge. With Sorey on his other side, it was just second nature to use his human companion as a buffer between himself and the other humans who’d be seated beside them. Had Mikleo tried to sit near the center of a row…the next person to board would no doubt try to sit on top of him. Sitting near the edge helped the boys to avoid that entire uncomfortable incident.

Once seated, the other passengers got on. In only a moment, their boat was full. The two behind them were full too, and as such it was finally time to get started with the tour. The row man in the back got to his work, and all three boats took off, moving away from the dock and deeper into the blue of the vast lake. 

“Good afternoon!” Ari, their guide said from the front of the boat where she sat facing them. “My name is Ari, your tour guide, and today I’ll be taking you on a trip around Lake Tolrin, and also in and through our famed Infinity Falls! We’ll also be headed into some of the caves that are found around the falls in the cliff side. Ponchos have been provided for you and each of you can find one underneath your seat. Please listen to my direction, for I’ll tell you when you need to put them on to avoid getting soaking wet by the mist and the splash of the falls. 

Before we get started, I have some safety information for you. Please remember to never stand up at any point in the boats during our tour. Do not rock the boats back and forth. And of course, never lean over the side to try and touch the water. If you have small children, keep them in your lap at all times.”

Mikleo had already tuned out the tour guide as she continued on with the safety explanation. He had plenty to look at after all. The scenery was so beautiful and peaceful that it was easy to get lost in. Staring out at the surface of the lake, he found that the boats were currently passing a large area of reeds. In it, long, slender, snow-white cranes were standing. Looking for fish, one of them stretched his wings up behind him. It was as beautiful as the rest of the area.

“Now, onto the rest of our tour!” Ari was saying. Hearing that the boring part was over, Mikleo tuned back in.

“Infinity falls was first discovered thousands of years ago by the founder of our town, Ulric Heldim. Before Tolrin was ever built or even conceived, Ulric was on a hike through the mountains on a personal, spiritual journey. They say he’d been traveling for months, and this area was originally hundreds of miles away from any known civilization. And so, when Ulric discovered the falls, he had thought he stumbled into heaven itself. Seeing that there was no end or beginning to the falls and perceiving that it fell from the clouds above, he rightfully so, named it Infinity Falls.

Ulric Heldim spent several years here, living by himself as a hermit on the lakes shores, not wanting to leave such a peaceful and holy place. But as the story goes, they say that Ulric eventually met a water seraph who also lived here. The seraph was a protector of the lake and waterfalls and had seen how much Ulric cared for the nature in the area and how much he revered and respected the falls. The two became fast friends.

Now, I know what you’re all thinking: Ari! How could Ulric befriend a seraph? Well the answer is simple, you see our founding father Ulric was one of the earliest shepherds in recorded history.”

And suddenly, the story was way more interesting than before, and Mikleo had already been interested due to the historical aspect. But now, suddenly, there was a human shepherd involved and another water seraph. Leaning into Sorey’s side, Mikleo reached out, wrapping his arms around his elbow. 

Sorey's eyebrows rose dramatically, shooting straight up towards his hairline. He leaned up against Mikleo, feeling surprised but also very, very pleased to hear about another shepherd and water seraph.

"Shepherd Ulric..." he whispered to his boyfriend. "There's no mention of him or the water seraph in the Celestial Record," Sorey stated, full of curiosity.  
Not knowing if it was okay to ask questions, the Shepherd started to look like he was about to burst. He wanted know all he could about Ulric and his water seraph, but maybe if he just let Ari talk, they'd learn more about the pair.

“Shepherd Ulric and the water seraphim lived together in peace and harmony for a few more years. But something was missing, and eventually, the water seraph saw that Ulric was lonely without others of his own kind. The seraphim took it upon herself to go out to the human world and find other humans to bring back to Tolrin with her. But because the lake and waterfall were so sacred, she wanted to make certain that only good people were permitted to come back with her. As such, she only had to search for people who could see her, for if a person was able to see her, then that meant that person had enough resonance and holy power to be a good human being.”

Ari smiled at everyone in the boat, stopping briefly to gaze at both Sorey and where she thought Mikleo currently sat. 

“When the water seraphim returned with a small band of good hearted humans, Ulric was overjoyed! He and the other humans started to build simple houses for each other in order to set up a homestead. And as such, the town of Tolrin was born.”

It was a wonderful story and Mikleo found himself taking almost every word into his heart. A small town where humans and seraphim lived together, and all the humans had resonance like Sorey, so they could all see one another. It sounded almost too good to be true. Mikleo, despite how much his heart tried to stop it, couldn’t keep his brain and natural intelligence and curiosity from working. And he remembered quite easily what the guard had told them just that morning while they were walking across the draw bridge.

“Sorey,” he whispered, not that anyone else in the boat could hear him anyway, “Didn’t the guard at the gate tell us that Tolrin was originally a military base used for war? Do you think Ulric founded the town before it was used for battle?”

It was a beautiful story, one that pulled on all of Sorey's easily-accessible heartstrings. But Mikleo was right. The guard had told them, very clearly, that the town had been used for war.

What did that mean? At what point did Tolrin go from being a place where only 'good-hearted' people lived, to transforming into a military base? What had happened?  
Was the guide just telling them a nice, tall tale or was there more to the story?

Sorey hummed, looking serious for a second as he placed a hand up to his chin in concentration.

"The guard did tell us that," he said softly to Mikleo. "So I wonder what happened..."

But Ari didn’t continue the story from there as the two history buffs had been hoping. Instead, as the boats progressed, she turned everyone’s attention to the cliff face that they were approaching.

“We’re getting very near the base of the waterfall now,” she said. “And the mist is quite thick. Everyone please put on your ponchos for we will need to row through a small gap in the waterfall. But even though technically no water will be falling on us, the splash and mist from the surrounding water can get you quite wet without your poncho!”

Everyone reached underneath their seats and unfolded the poncho’s they’d been given. Mikleo however didn’t bother.

“You don’t need to fuss with that,” he told Sorey when he saw him reaching for his. “I’ll keep us dry.” And he had a smug little grin on his face as he said so. But then his stoic face returned as he got back on subject, “But in regards to Ari’s tale, I imagine that if the story turns traumatic for any reason, she wouldn’t tell the rest of it here. This is a tourist attraction meant to make people feel good after all. So if something bad happened to Tolrin to turn it into a military base, we wouldn’t hear about it. Let’s leave it for our research tomorrow in the library. At least we’ll know where to start,” he suggested. And as he did, his grin returned to his face once more. “Besides, we don’t want anything to spoil our date.”

Sorey grinned brightly at that. "Nope! Not gonna spoil anything," he said, rubbing his thumb over a spot on Mikleo's hand as he agreed. He always had such soft skin. It was an anomaly to Sorey how the seraph could be so soft to the touch, and so soft on the eyes, and yet give their enemies hell when time came for it. He was a tough guy; anyone who said otherwise was a fool.

He hummed happily to himself on those thoughts, pleased with musing over how awesome his boyfriend was. And he was delighted that Mikleo was going to keep the two of them mist-free once they reached the area Ari was talking about. Sorey couldn't help but wonder what all the other passengers were going to think about him somehow not needing his poncho. How many people in the boat were aware of his and Mikleo's status?

Regardless of what anyone else would think, he was looking forward to getting to the base of the waterfall. Everything in Tolrin was proving to be more impressive up-close, and Sorey already felt like he was on the edge of his seat with excitement. How could such a beautiful place exist? He wanted to see more - and wanted more explanations.

The boat tour had indeed been a very good idea.

Mikleo gave no outward change to his appearance as Sorey caressed his hand, as was his way. But that didn’t mean he didn’t feel the same warmth in his chest as he always did when Sorey gave him attention or affection. And he was coming to discover, ever since his confession in the underground ruins, that he just loved physical contact with Sorey, more than he’d ever imagined he would. And so, to let his boyfriend know it was appreciated, he gave his palm an extra squeeze. 

Their little crew of boats entered the cloud at the base of Infinity Falls. The mist was so thick that it was just as their guide had said: it was almost like being in the sky. The world disappeared around them, and no one could see anything five feet past the boat’s edge. And because the mist was so thick, beads of water started to build up on the outsides of everyone’s ponchos. 

It started to gather on Sorey’s cloak as well, and it also started to gather on a certain invisible individual. It was in this brief moment that everyone seated in the first boat of the tour was suddenly able to see the faint outline of what looked to be a transparent person seated just beside the brunet in the white cloak.   
Eyes widened, jaws dropped, and the younger humans pointed. One little girl cried, “mommy mommy! Look a ghost!”

Very quickly, everyone became aware of the shepherd’s presence, and what was more was that they became aware of Mikleo’s too. 

“No honey, that’s the shepherd,” the mother quickly explained. “And he’s sitting next to a seraphim!”

“Oooo!” A few whispers arose, but mostly it was just repeats of the awed phrases “that’s the shepherd!” or “the shepherd is in our tour boat!” and “do you see the seraph sitting beside him? So it’s true! They _are_ real!”

Nothing bad was said, and if anything, the people seemed happier to have the shepherd in their presence alongside a seraphim.  
“Wait till your brother hears about this! He’ll be so sorry he said he didn’t want to come!”

Sorey and Mikleo, somewhat used to such reactions from their travels, ignored the others for the most part. The only new thing was that Mikleo was once again not used to the attention from other humans. Not particularly sure if he liked being seen, he lifted a hand and whispered a word under his breath. Casting a simple protection spell, a thin barrier appeared over him and Sorey. Keeping them dry from the mist and water droplets, he once more disappeared from sight.

“Aww…the angel’s gone…” the little girl pouted. 

“No honey, the angel’s still there, she’s just invisible.” The mother explained. Mikleo promptly frowned.

“Why does everyone always assume I’m a girl?” he complained.

Sorey chuckled. "Well...I don't know," he admitted. "You're very clearly a boy," he said, loudly enough so that the little girl could probably hear him. "You are really pretty though," Sorey teased, shamelessly flirting with his boyfriend, not minding the many eyes that were currently glued to the back of his head and his face. He was getting used to it...and truth be told, Sorey tried to be humble about his status as the Shepherd, but sometimes, it was nice to be recognized for all of their hard work.  
He took in a deep breath of air, loving the smell of the fresh, clean mist that swirled around them. If he had to imagine what it would be like to step into a cloud, this would be it. And maybe he was just biased, but Sorey loved the smell of fresh water. It reminded him of a certain water seraph, who was adorably hiding himself away from so much attention. Sorey didn't say as much, but he liked shy Mikleo. Shy Mikleo was awfully cute.

A quick, hot, blush came over Mikleo’s pale cheeks when Sorey called him pretty. And for some reason, although he hated being mistaken for a girl, he didn’t mind so much when Sorey commented on his looks. In fact, he may have _really_ liked it. 

“Well that’s just…that’s because I…a-and you’re-!” But he couldn’t finish for he was too flustered. And when he looked over and saw how much Sorey _enjoyed_ how flustered he was, he only became more embarrassed. Sorey’s bright green eyes were fixated on him, and he was wearing that usual silly grin: the one Mikleo particularly liked. That, and he was leaning in, bringing his face awfully close to his own.

The color in Mikleo’s cheeks only grew darker, and quickly, Mikleo had to look away. Lifting his chin and trying to maintain some dignity, he briskly replied.

“You’re not so bad looking yourself, if you wanted to know.” 

Sorey's grin only widened. Shy, flustered, and protesting Mikleo was even cuter. And it seemed like he was going to get some attention too. That was always a bonus.  
He chuckled, and bumped his shoulder up against the blushing seraph. 

"I guess I _am_ pretty cute too. Now that they've put lipstick on this pig, right?" and he just couldn't help but tease his boyfriend about their old joke from months ago.

Mikleo’s eyes widened as he whipped his head around to look at Sorey, and if at all possible, his color grew even worse.  
“That was-! Y-y-you were being an idiot that day!” he defended. “Y-you were full of yourself after having gotten that cloak and becoming the shepherd! Someone had to take you down a notch!”

Sorey just laughed, throwing his head back in his joy. His green eyes were crinkled up with delight. 

Looking back to Mikleo, it was all he could do to keep himself from thoroughly embarrassing himself by reaching out and kissing his blushing boyfriend in front of all of those people. Mikleo was just _so..._

He chuckled a couple of more times, before reaching down and grabbing Mikleo's hand again in his own.

"It's okay," he said quietly. "I know I was. You were right. And I know what you _really_ think anyway," he said, green eyes still alight with joy.

Dates were fun.

As usual, Mikleo felt like Sorey could see right through him. And not in the same way the other humans did. No…when the other humans saw through him he felt invisible, alone, like he didn’t exist. But the way Sorey saw through him made him feel more real and more alive and more solid than ever before. When Sorey looked at him like that, with _those_ eyes…he couldn’t hide anything. Sorey _knew_ him. And he saw every piece of him, even when he tried to hide because he was proud or embarrassed. His heart swelled, and for a second, he was afraid he’d burst. He just loved him so much.

Speechless from the power of the things he was feeling, Mikleo felt lucky when the tour guide finally started speaking again.

“Here we are!” she announced. 

The clouds around them started to clear. Up ahead they found themselves just in front of the huge cliff that the Infinity Falls cascaded down. It stretched up so tall that they couldn’t see the top of it, not when they were this up close. It blocked out the sun, and with that in combination of the water spraying all around the, it grew considerably cooler. 

The water from the huge waterfall was crashing down all around them. It didn’t touch their boat, for the tour guide and the rowers knew exactly where to go to avoid it, but all the same, the water beneath their boat was churning and appeared violent from such a turbulent waterfall. The sheer size and amount of water was intimidating, and Mikleo knew from just a glance that if they made one wrong move their little boat would be crushed into splinters.

“Everyone remember your safety instructions!” Ari had to practically scream over the tremendous roar of the water. “Remain seated! Do NOT lean over the side of the boats. Do not stand up. Please remain still as we move through the waterfall and into the caves!”

No one dared disobey. Looking to the right they saw water swirling in a spiral. Mikleo knew they’d be sucked down by the current if they got too close. And to their left there was so much falling water that it was just a white sheet of roaring violence. 

“Infinity Falls comes from a vast river at the top of the mountain!” Ari was yelling. “It falls hundreds of feet down to Lake Tolrin! Because of the great distance and because of the sheer magnitude of water, it creates hundreds of tons of pressure when it hits the surface! When the tours first started up, it took the creators years to figure out a safe route into the caves!”

No one asked questions. The little girl in the sat behind them looked frightened. But her mother appeared even worse off.

“The whirlpool to our left is one of the smaller ones! They’re created when two powerful streams of water fall simultaneously near one another! They push the water down, but in opposite directions, creating a suction! If we got too close, our boat would be pulled down to the bottom of the lake in mere seconds!”

The little boats made their way through a break in the water. Up above them in the cliff face, there was a huge boulder jutting out, blocking the falls decent. Even so, water sprayed all around them, and the humans, even with their ponchos, were getting drenched. Mikleo, sympathetic, quickly worked on extending his barrier so that it encompassed not just their boat, but all three in their traveling party.

Right away, everyone gaped. For looking up above them, they spotted the invisible barrier that kept the water from falling on them. Staring at it in awe, they watched as the water collided with nothingness, bounced off, and fell harmlessly to the side. The waterfall still raged all around them, but it was considerably quieter without it pounding on top of their heads.

“Well!” Ari gaped, wiping some water from her forehead. “This is certainly the most peaceful trip through the falls I’ve ever experienced as a tour guide.” Lifting a hand, she gestured to Sorey. “Sorey the shepherd everyone! Please extend your thanks!”

Everyone in the boats clapped, as usual, mistaking the seraph’s deeds for the shepherd’s. But there was one little girl at least, who understood what had really happened.

“No, no! That man didn’t do anything! It was the angel! The angel’s protecting us!”

"Yes!" Sorey cried out, delighted, as he turned to face the little girl. "Mikleo's a water seraph. He's shielding everyone," he stated, speaking loudly enough for the whole party to hear. "I can't take any credit for this. It's all him," he said, his face beaming with happiness at having just one person recognize Mikleo for what he'd been doing.

 _You don't have to worry...about people not knowing you're here with me,_ Sorey thought as he looked to his embarrassed boyfriend. _People can tell. You deserve to be known. You deserve the credit. You deserve this...and so much more._

Mikleo, his blush barely having receded, came back full force. He let out a sigh, putting an exasperated hand to his forehead. But Ari, and everyone else in the boat had already heard.

“Excuse my rudeness!” Ari quickly said. “Mikleo the water seraph everyone!”

Everyone clapped a second time, this time with the little girl joining in with jubilation. 

“Yay!” 

Thankfully for Mikleo, they finally made it through the raging falls and toward what appeared to be a very small, cracked triangle opening in the rock face. Their boat, being in the lead, headed in first. Almost right away the roaring of the falls and the violence of the water subsided. Silence fell upon them, and the cool temperature they’d been feeling outside plummeted and it became downright cold. 

Ari struck a match and lit a lantern, which she hung from the bow of their boat to light the way. Immediately everyone started to look around with excitement and wonder. The water beneath them was crystal clear and breathlessly still. As such, they could see all the way down to the bottom of the cave. A few plants decorated the bottom of the pool and a few small fish swam by. 

Around them, the walls were ribbed, clearly having been worn down over time by rushing waters. Above them, the ceiling was only two or three feet above Ari’s head and a few stalactites hung down. 

“We’re now entering what the locals call, The Vanishing Catacombs.” And of course, as she said it, Ari let out an ‘ooOOoo’ afterward. A few of the passenger’s chuckled. “But before we get to the story behind that name, let me tell you a little bit more history.” And of course, at this news, both boys sat forward a little further on their seat.

“Ulric and his water seraph companion discovered this cave system during their time together before the other humans were invited to build Tolrin. But after Tolrin was built, it was said that only Ulric could make it to these caves, since, obviously, no normal human could. It was far too dangerous for the people of the time to attempt to come out here. But Ulric, with a water seraph at his side, could come and go easily with the shepherd’s power. No one knows the real purpose for Ulric retreat into these caves, but many have said he came out here to renew his spiritual energies.

The caves themselves have been formed by the rushing of water over the course of thousands of years. Geologists and other scientists have studied the caves extensively and have concluded that the huge reservoir of water at the top of the mountain tricked its way down through cracks in the limestone and carved its way throughout the mountain, heading downward with the help of gravity. Eventually, reaching the base of the mountain, it needed to find a way out. Seeking out similar cracks at the base, it eroded its way through until it formed the cave system you see today.

The reason it’s called a catacomb is because there are hundreds of different tunnels throughout the mountain. Some go underwater and out to the lake. Other’s still go out through the sides of the mountain. It’s so huge, so vast, and so confusing, that we have yet to chart all of the different paths throughout the caves. A person could easily get lost in here and never return. Which of course, brings us to the rest of the cave systems name…”

Ari took a moment to grab up the lantern from the boat. Taking it in her hands, she held it just beneath her face, letting it cut crude shadows across her features, which were now stark and serious.

“This is the story of The Vanishing Catacombs…”

Mikleo let out a sudden “pshh” as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Don’t tell me this is a ghost story.”

But of course, no one but Sorey heard him and so Ari continued.

“Far later in our tale, after Tolrin had transformed from a peaceful village into a military base, and after Ulric had long passed away; these caves served a different purpose. The peaceful citizens of Tolrin, having just been occupied by the new military, were of course terrified for their safety. The men, wanting to keep their wives and children safe from their new, violent overlords, thought of the caves.

Remembering their founding father, Ulric, had once used these caves for spiritual purposes, many of the townspeople believed the women and children would be safe here. And so, all of the men loaded the women and children up in boats…not unlike the one’s we’re sitting in now, and sent them off on their way.   
True the waters are violent, true there was a huge risk of drowning or being sucked to the bottom of the lake, but the hope of safety outweighed these factors. Many of the townspeople still believed Tolrin to be blessed by the original water seraph who resided with them once upon a time. But that seraph hadn’t been seen in decades. Still, they clung to this vain hope and sent the boats into the waters in the dead of night.”

Mikleo sat stiffly in his seat. Looking almost stubborn, he looked off to the side as their boats drifted further back into the caves. He didn’t look at Ari as she spoke, and he stubbornly didn’t look at Sorey either.

“Many of the boats didn’t make it to the caves. Many crashed, sank, or got smashed against the rocks. But they say a few of the boats did make it. And the ones that did, became lost in an endless game of choice. Constantly they had to choose, right or left, right or left. And sometimes there’d be three or even four tunnels to choose from. The surviving boats drifted on and on…until their lanterns ran out of oil and all went dark.”

Ari of course, chose this moment to blow out the flame from her lantern, plunging the entire tour group into pitch black darkness. A few people gasped. The little girl behind them shrieked. And Mikleo, against all of his bitter pride, reached out to Sorey and grabbed onto his arm.

While Sorey hadn't gasped, he'd expected Mikleo to react in such a way. He loved having his boyfriend grasp his arm like that. It was just a story...but then again, the water seraph had always been a sucker for ghost stories. And Sorey knew that.

It was also pitch black inside the caves...and Sorey had to admit, it was pretty creepy. They'd been in a number of caves, but had always been able to see, whether by natural or magical means. Now, without the use of his sense of sight, Sorey was all the more aware of how damp and cold the air felt, and also how loud sounds seemed. He could still hear the roaring of the waterfall behind them, if he listened.

And of course, he could hear Mikleo's quickened breath.

"There could be ghosts," he whispered not too seriously, more comically than anything, just loud enough for Mikleo and maybe a couple of people nearby. Sorey couldn't resist teasing his boyfriend just a little.

“Sorey!” Mikleo immediately chastised. “Don’t be an ass! Besides…you know I don’t believe in ghosts. There’s no such thing.” He was adamant about it. But even so…he didn’t let go of Sorey’s arm.

"Of course," he agreed amicably. "There's definitely no such thing." Sure, Sorey sounded like he was agreeing with his boyfriend...but in reality, he was teasing the other young man. And was having a lot of fun with it too.

"I mean, we _definitely_ don't have to worry about - what was that!?" he feigned, acting suddenly shocked and surprised by something. "Did you hear that Mikleo?"

“What?! Hear what?! I didn’t hear anything!” And Mikleo’s grip on Sorey’s arm intensified as he started trying to peer through the darkness, his amethyst eyes wide. At least that was…until Ari relit the lantern with a low, almost comical laugh in the back of her throat.

“Did I frighten all of you?” she asked mischievously. But Mikleo was focused elsewhere, for now that there was light again, Mikleo was able to turn and look to Sorey and what he found was the shepherd barely suppressing a fit of laughter under a wavering grin. As soon as he saw the look on his face, Mikleo knew he’d been had. Quickly, a snarl flashed across the water seraph’s face. 

“You jerk!” Immediately letting go of Sorey’s arm, he instead treated his boyfriend to a rather stinging punch in his bicep. 

“Oow!”

“Hmph!” Crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his nose in the air, Mikleo turned away from Sorey, looking quite pouty indeed. “I’m not making you popsicles for a week!”

"Whaaat?" Sorey pouted, immediately contrite. "But...but I love your ice pops!" the brunet protested, green eyes full of dismay. "It...there wasn't anything there. And besides, I thought you said you didn't believe in ghosts?" he continued, incapable of not teasing Mikleo just a little more. He knew the seraph would still make him ice pops...he couldn't resist Sorey's pouty puppy face. 

“I…I don’t!” Mikleo continued to insist even though they both knew better. And he would have continued to defend himself, but people in the boat were starting to stare. Even if they couldn’t hear half of the conversation, judging from Sorey’s half, it was still clear what was going on.

“Sir Shepherd?” Came Ari’s voice. “Are you done teasing your boyfriend? May I continue the tale?”

Several people in the boat chuckled, and Mikleo seeing Sorey’s face turn a brilliant crimson with embarrassment, very quickly loosened back up. A sly smirk crossed over his features, and with arms still crossed, he sat with his back straight and tall.

“Yes, sir Shepherd, pray tell: are you done?”

Sorey was impossibly embarrassed. He'd never been much for social etiquette, as Mikleo was prone to pointing out, but this was pretty bad.

"Y-yes," he said, flushing red all the way to the tips of his feathered ears. "I'm done. Sorry about that." Even if he was embarrassed, he was still smiling. It was nice to have someone tease him about teasing his boyfriend. He could get used to that. Although, maybe it'd be better if he didn't do things like interrupt their tour guide. He chastised himself, and sat up straight in his seat, just like if Gramps had scolded him for doing something ridiculous. He'd pay attention! Mostly.

A few people chuckled, including Mikleo.

“Ooo! You got yourself in trouble.” And suddenly the shoe was on the other foot as Mikleo was the one who now couldn’t resist teasing his boyfriend. After all, anything he said or did couldn’t be heard or seen by the other passengers. So really, he could tease to his heart’s content and Sorey couldn’t do a single thing about it.

And so, even as Ari started up the tale once more, Mikleo couldn’t help but to look at Sorey. And in seeing his adorably red face, he really couldn’t have been expected to deny himself some fun. As Sorey faced forward, listening strictly to their tour guide speak, Mikleo got an idea. Scooting in closer, just until their thighs touched, he then leaned in. Pursing his lips, he blew ever so gently in the shepherd’s ear.

Sorey jumped a mile. Well, not really, but he did let out a far from distinguished yelp of surprise, his buttocks nearly lifting off of the seat underneath him.  
He had not been expecting that.

Beet red all over again, the shepherd turned to chastise his boyfriend, who had burst out laughing. "Mikleooooo!" he whined, trying to whisper so as not to disturb the group but of course that had already happened the second he'd yelped.

A few people chuckled, and Sorey was at least glad they found it funny. He honestly found it mostly embarrassing, even if he was also having fun with his boyfriend at the same time.

Mikleo’s laughter lasted for several long seconds. His purple eyes squinted shut with delight as he held his gut with both hands. It had been quite a long time since he’d laughed so hard, and even longer still since he’d felt so carefree. His quest with Sorey had become so serious and so full of dire consequences that he’d almost forgotten that he was really little more than an eighteen year old. And today, having this day with Sorey, being able to go on a date with him and remember what and who they truly were, was such a relief and a blessing.

Finally, after a while, Mikleo’s laughter died down. But when it did, his smile remained. He gazed at Sorey fondly, then wordlessly scooted in closer to him once more. This time he didn’t tease or play, and instead cuddled up beside him. Their thighs touching once more, he leaned into his side, just wanting to be close. He didn’t say anything, and didn’t need to. And as the pair settled back in, they turned to listen to the remainder of the tale Ari was telling them.

“Still, it was insisted by our ancestors that some of the people made it through the caves and out through the mountainside alive. But even if it’s true that some survived, it is fact that many more have died. And those people died right here in these very caves. From that point forward, locals have believed the Vanishing Catacombs to be haunted.

Now, I have never seen or heard anything myself, but every so often, I will have a guest stop me in the middle of my tour to tell me they hear a woman crying, her voice echoing through the catacombs. And sometimes still, they say they can see a transparent apparition of a young woman, her dress and hair, long and flowing like water…as if she drowned here in these very waters.”

Mikleo reached out, taking Sorey’s hand in his own. And although the story was indeed creepy, he wasn’t nearly as spooked as before. For now that he and Sorey had flirted and teased one another, everything was great fun. Even being scared a little.

Nestling up against Mikleo was probably the best thing ever. At least, that's how he felt the moment the seraph leaned into him, relaxing as Ari continued her tale.  
He reached out and grabbed Mikleo's hand in his own. "Well, I definitely don't hear any ghosts right now," he whispered softly to his love. "I think we're okay."

It was a sad story, for sure. And he wondered how long ago all of this took place. Maybe they'd find some more information about the whole story the next day when they went to the library to do some research.


	17. Chapter 17: To Be With You

((Hey everyone, this was a delicate and intricate chapter to write. My wife and I actually ended up writing two separate versions, which is why it took so long! The first version would not have fit the teen rating I selected for this fan fiction, haha! But finally, I've decided on this version which I believe is still teen friendly, but captures the importance and powerful emotions of Sorey and Mikleo's coming together as a couple. It was one of my favorite chapters thus far, and I hope you will all feel the same!)) ((Also, if you looked up that playlist I posted back in chapter 12, Gold Dust is the song I wrote their love scene too. It reads great if you start the song from the time they kiss if you wanted to have it playing in the background as you read. :) ~Spotofpaint))

** Chapter 17 **

To Be With You

The tour continued on throughout the front most part of the catacombs. Ari took them through the more open and stable cave tunnels, pointing out rock formations, caverns of interest, and even some wildlife. She revealed that more than just plants and fish lived near the opening where sunlight could get through. Apparently deeper inside there were glow worms that lit up the caves in certain locations. Mikleo demanded that Sorey ask if they could go see, but Ari revealed that the closest known cavern with glow worms was off limits due to a lot of strange happenings and unexpected water phenomenon.

"The tide will rise without warning and not at the time it should," she said. "And some of the tour guides have seen whirlpools appear for no reason. We think there's an open tunnel beneath eh water creating rip tides, suction, and a lot of other things. It was deemed too dangerous to take guests there."

Mikleo seemed disappointed, but didn't say anything more.

Eventually, their boats came around to a different exit in the cave system. Rowing out to an entirely different area of the lake, everyone squinted as the sun fell over them once more. Ari told everyone to put their ponchos once again as the rage from the waterfall drew near. But Sorey informed them that this wasn't necessary, seeing as Mikleo cast the same spell from earlier in order to protect everyone. As such, with the water seraph's help, they made it out into much more relaxing waters.

The ride back to the docks was calm and peaceful, and everyone happily chatted with their boat mates about the tour they'd just experienced. Ari pointed out the beach as they went, telling everyone it was the perfect place to swim. And she of course also recommended a few of Tolrin's other tourist locations such as the hot and cold springs, the sauna, and a few good restaurants.

But finally, they pulled up to the docks and disembarked. Getting out of the boat and standing up straight for the first time in over an hour, Mikleo and Sorey stretched. Inhaling deeply, Mikleo took in the clean, fresh air around him once more. Tolrin's scent, air and environment was by far his favorite of all the places he'd been so far on his journey. The only place he could think of that was cleaner and that he liked more was Elysia.

Walking down the dock and back toward dry land, Sorey and Mikleo discussed what it was they should do next. And after only a moment, they both agreed that they wanted to explore the city. And so, following the path back, that's exactly what they did once inside the walls.

Moving down the cobblestone streets it was easy to get energized and excited all over again. Tolrin was lively, and there were a lot of street vendors to visit. With the protection of the ancient trees leaves overhead, it never grew too hot seeing as the town was nicely shaded with patches of sun in places. And with it being spring, there was still a sweet, cool, breeze to ruffle through their hair.

Neither boy was materialistic, seeing as they were raised in a town of seraphim, but it was still lots of fun to see all the different kinds of things people made and used. They stopped frequently just to pick items up, turn them over in their hands, and discuss what it was the items were used for. After all, as sheltered as they were, they hardly even recognized half the things they saw.

"And this one?" Sorey asked a vendor at Mikleo's prompting.

"That's a food strainer," the salesman explained. "For pasta or small vegetables."

"Aah." The two boys marveled as Mikleo turned the item over in his hands.

And of course at the next booth, the same question was asked of a dog bone, a paper weight, and a music box.

The pair explored for a few hours, but eventually, Sorey grew hungry. Since it wasn't yet time for dinner, they looked around for a place to get a snack. Seeing a small, corner café, they sat down at an outdoor table. There they ordered something they never had before: coffee and tea. The waiter told them humans had such drinks to give them energy, and they of course wanted to try it. Along with it, they ordered some tea cakes. Very much enjoying their food, drink and of course each other, it would have been hard to be much happier than they already were.

"I really liked the music box," Mikleo said while stirring his tea. "Every time you open it a song plays. That's really nice." He smiled fondly at Sorey from across the table. "I like a lot of the things humans make."

Sorey looked up from one of his tea cakes. He'd been about to take another bite, but stopped, making his fork hover in the air for a moment. He watched Mikleo's face, and grinned warmly whenever he met the seraph's gaze.

"There are so many things that they make," Sorey stated, also feeling a little mystified. "Things I would never have even dreamed of."

He took a bite, then looked back at Mikleo, tilting his head to the side.

"You like that music box?" he asked. "Then...you should have it," Sorey stated. "You deserve to have nice things."

And suddenly, he had to fight the urge to abandon his cozy meal and run right back to the vendor, and purchase it before anyone else snatched it up. His boyfriend wanted a pretty item. Then it was his job to go get it, right? That's what you did when the person you loved wanted something. He was pretty sure about that.

But when Sorey mentioned it, Mikleo only shook his head.

"No," he declined softly. "I don't have the urge to own things the way humans do, even if I do like it. It's just…not really in a seraphim's nature I guess." He smiled Sorey's way. "Besides, we're traveling around the world. The less we carry the better. But all the same, thank you for offering Sorey."

He took a sip of his tea, but as he did, a thought seemed to occur to him. Putting his tea back down, he gazed at his boyfriend.

"Do you have the urge to own things? It's important to humans, isn't it? Do you need to buy the music box Sorey?" And as he'd been doing ever since they were children, Mikleo seemed concerned with Sorey's well-being and what he did and did not need as a human raised by seraphim.

These were all true things: they really did need to keep their bags light. Who knew how long they'd still be on the road after they left Tolrin? The lighter the better.

When asked if he wanted the music box, the shepherd paused, blushing a little. Not because Mikleo was right and he wanted the music box, but because the seraph was showing him care and concern, two things Sorey couldn't get enough of.

He looked away and to the side. "No..." he stated, fiddling with his cup. "I mean, sometimes I'd like to buy a small knickknack or something, but...not the music box," he admitted. "I just wanted to get it for you, in case you wanted it." And he grinned at Mikleo, suddenly feeling sheepish and not quite understanding why. Maybe it was revealing that yes, sometimes he wanted things. But truthfully it was probably also because the soft lighting in the cafe was doing amazing things to Mikleo's face and hair. He looked more beautiful than usual and Sorey felt like that was saying something. Combine natural beauty with caring and concern and well...Sorey stood no chance against the seraph's charms.

Mikleo sat silently for a few more seconds, studying his childhood friend carefully. Although Sorey wasn't capable of lying, for he was too pure hearted for that, he sometimes didn't always know what his own needs were. How could he after all, without any humans to follow an example of?

But after looking over Sorey for a few more seconds, Mikleo somehow came to the conclusion that Sorey indeed didn't need to buy the music box. Perhaps being raised by seraphim had helped, but he certainly never had seemed to be the type to want to own lots of things in the past, and Mikleo hadn't seen that change in him since they'd started their journey together.

After deciding Sorey was ok, it was only then that Mikleo noticed the way the shepherd was staring at him. And his green eyes were suddenly very dreamy, and his face a little more handsome than usual. As had been happening to him all day, Mikleo felt his chest flutter.

"W-what?" he asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "Do I have crumbs on my face?" Blinking his amethyst eyes and lifting a hand, he carefully started to rub at the corners of his lips.

Sorey chuckled. "No, you don't have any crumbs on your face," he immediately responded, propping his head up with one hand. "You're just really pretty," he stated bluntly, grinning cheekily at his seraph boyfriend, content to pause and study the other young man's face for as long as he was allowed.

A quick heat came to Mikleo's cheeks, and that fluttering in his chest intensified. A sense of satisfaction swelled within him, and as it did, Mikleo knew he couldn't deny how much he _loved_ hearing Sorey compliment him.

"I-is that so?" he stuttered a second time.

"Mmnhmmn," Sorey hummed, happy to see how he was affecting the seraph. He could tell...Mikleo really liked the compliments. And so he decided to give him some more.

"Your hair's always been so soft looking and shiny," he started. "But now, with the lighting..." and his grin got a little wider, "It's even more beautiful," he stated. He was starting to feel the same way he had back in the caves, when the air had gushed all around them, making Mikleo look impossibly beautiful and ethereal. But this time it was better because they were all alone. There wasn't anyone to interrupt them. And so he could tease and compliment his boyfriend as much as he wanted.

They were on a date. And Sorey was determined to make sure his love felt special and wanted.

Mikleo's blush deepened. He'd always known Sorey was attracted to him, of course, but they'd never been in the right time or place to say things so blatantly and out loud like this. And so, hearing it from his love's lips for the first time was so thrilling, he was afraid he might start squirming in his seat. Never one for too much outward emotion, Mikleo struggled to remain somewhat cool and reserved as usual. But it was hard. Because inside he was almost bursting.

Embarrassed, but in the best way he ever remembered being embarrassed, he glanced off and to the side.

"You…you too," he said quietly. Then, calling up a little more courage, he turned and faced Sorey seriously. "I know I joke a lot, and sometimes I can be a little mean, but…you know why that is. And you know…you know that's not how I really feel. It's…hard for me to be candid like I was back in the underground ruins. But you know Sorey…" He locked his eyes onto him. "You're actually really _really_ cute."

Eyebrows raised, Sorey looked straight at his boyfriend.

"Really...really cute?" he asked, now fighting the urge to blush himself. His efforts didn't succeed, and Sorey found his own cheeks darkening again thanks to the seraph's compliment.

The truth was, he didn't know. Sorey had no way to judge how attractive he actually was. He wasn't terribly into mirrors - they hadn't even had one in his home for many years, simply because seraphs didn't have those sorts of things. And he'd grown up surrounded by perpetually clean, well-kempt seraphs. Even Mikleo had to style his hair for him.

But somehow, despite these things, hearing Mikleo say that he was cute was enough for Sorey to believe it. After all, Mikleo would never lie to him. And so...he had to be cute.

Even if he was only cute to just Mikleo, that was enough. The only person whose eyes he wanted on him was the beautiful water seraph sitting there in front of him, and well, if _he_ thought Sorey was good-looking despite all of his obvious flaws...well, that was good enough for Sorey. That was all he needed.

"Yes," Mikleo confirmed. But of course, with the expression Sorey was wearing right now, it was hard not to laugh. He was slack jawed and his eyes were wide. Mikleo suppressed a chuckle. "Although right now, you look like a doofus."

Sorey grimaced comically. "Wh-what?" he startled, sitting upright in his chair, and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "A doofus? Mikleo!" he chastised in mock-play. He knew the seraph didn't really mean it...or if he did and it was true and Sorey really _did_ look like a doofus right that that moment, he was still cute anyway.

"Well what am I supposed to do? I...didn't know I was cute..." he said, still blushing and looking away to the side as he took a sip of his tea. "You can't blame me for being surprised."

Mikleo did chuckle then. For Sorey was cute precisely because he was Sorey. At the moment, he was downright adorable. Sorey wasn't big-headed and he hardly ever thought about his looks. He just wasn't as shallow as that. And it was because he was so humble and honest that Mikleo liked him so much. Sometimes he wished he could be a little bit more like Sorey: for Mikleo, despite all of his good qualities was aware of how attractive he was. As the other seraphs had pointed out to him before, he took pride in his appearance. He did his best not to flaunt it and really not to ever talk about it, but the awareness was still there. Sorey wasn't like that. And it was one of the many endless qualities Mikleo loved about him.

"Shut up and drink you tea…cutie…" Mikleo teased.

After their snack, the pair headed back out into Tolrin. They looked at a few more shops, but ultimately knew they'd want to try one of the many other attractions Tolrin had to offer. The day was unfortunately already starting to wane, and so, knowing they didn't have much time left, they had to choose perhaps only one or two. Both being huge nerds, they of course opted for the museum.

Walking around the museum and learning all about Tolrin's history and art, was as thrilling for them as the boat ride had been. And although they weren't really on the clock when it came to their quest, they were already chest deep into their research. Everything they learned would no doubt be useful to them tomorrow when they headed to the library.

They'd spent hours in the museum. And as such, when they got out, they saw that the sun was setting. The sky above the Tolrin trees was a deep red and it was growing into a purple. The first star of night winked to life and the moon was starting to rise. Both young men stopped briefly as they looked at it, and both of their faces fell to disappointment.

"The day's over already?" Sorey asked, and Mikleo hated hearing the sad tones he spoke with. After all, he always wanted Sorey to be happy.

"I suppose so…" he responded, his own tones carrying just as much melancholy. "We told the others we'd meet back at the Water Crest Inn at sunset, and they can't check in without you Sorey."

As much as Mikleo hated to, he knew they couldn't delay. They couldn't be frivolous and stay out past dark. Without Sorey as their human counterpart, none of the others could be seen or heard by the inn staff. They'd be stuck in the lobby, ignored and invisible. And so, as much as Mikleo wanted to keep Sorey all to himself, he knew he couldn't be that selfish. He knew what it was like to be invisible.

Turning, he looked to Sorey, the color of the fading light danced across his skin and eyes, making him appear to glow. And standing with him in a profile view, Mikleo couldn't help but trace the curve of his jaw as he stood beside him. Sorey was growing up each and every day, and his features were becoming less youthful and more masculine. And although his jaw line used to be very soft, Mikleo saw how it was becoming more angled as they spent more time together.

His other features were doing the same. His eyebrows were growing in thicker, fuller, along with his hair. And his green eyes, although they still shone with innocence and naivety, they were starting to hold more responsibility in them. Especially since he'd become the shepherd. There was a knowledge in his leaf green eyes that only an adult could have.

Earlier in the day Mikleo had admitted to thinking Sorey was cute, but he hadn't yet divulged the truth about how handsome the other young man could be sometimes. And it was in moments such as this one when Mikleo's heart started to pound from a different type of attraction than just 'cute.'

Reaching out, Mikleo took Sorey's hand, as they had been all throughout their date. For a second, he thought of saying something to Sorey, about his looks, or about how as a seraph he was able to see the passage of time on his face, but…ultimately Mikleo decided against it. He didn't want to talk about time moving forward. That subject was taboo, and neither young man ever mentioned it. Instead, he glanced off and into the distance where he knew the inn rested.

"Shall we?"

With Mikleo's hand in his, Sorey nodded, not looking too happy about having to head back. He'd had so much fun with Mikleo, and he wasn't ready to be around everyone else again. Maybe that was selfish of him, but he missed days like this. Days of being with just Mikleo. The rest of the team was great and all, and he cared about everyone but...

Sorey swallowed, and the two young men started to move forward. "For the record," he said softly, "I don't want our date to end," he said, before looking over towards his boyfriend. "I feel like I still haven't gotten enough of 'just us'," he admitted. "I know I have to help the others check in, but..." And his gaze softened. "Today's been nice, just the two of us." He rubbed his thumb over Mikleo's soft hand which rested in his own.

"Yes," Mikleo agreed, his voice soft. "It has been…" But there was not much else to say, and so they made the rest of the trip in silence.

The pair arrived at the inn a few minutes later. Stepping inside, they found that the lanterns had already been lit. The inn glowed soft and warm in the firelight. It was inviting and comforting. And so, even though Mikleo was disappointed his date was over, the welcoming environment made it a little easier to try and get back into the swing of things.

All three of their traveling companions were waiting for them. Zaveid was leaned casually up against the wall, one boot planted against the paint. Lailah was seated very lady-like in a nearby chair and Edna was crouched near the floor looking as bored as ever. When they spotted Sorey and Mikleo, all three perked up.

"Welcome back your shepherdness!" Zaveid greeted. "Did your date go well?"

The group all took part in small talk for a few minutes, exchanging stories and experienced about their day. But all of them were tired, and so it didn't last long before they urged Sorey toward the counter. Sorey, also very much wanting to go rest in a room, requested two rooms from the kind attendant. Edna, although not too happy about it, agreed to share a bed with Lailah since their room only came with two beds. But when Sorey asked about his room with Mikleo,

"We put a room aside for you shepherd," the attendant said smiling. "Please don't worry about any extra cost, you can pay the same amount as if it were a regular room. We just wanted you to have something a little more special. After all, it's not every day your town gets a visit from the shepherd!"

Sorey was used to getting a few perks and some special treatment. And he'd learned quickly in the past that it was rude to refuse people when they offered him things. And so, he simply smiled and graciously accepted.

The team traveled together up the spiral staircase. Their rooms were on the top floor. It was a bit of a climb to get there, but they were all in excellent shape from their travels. And so, eventually, they came to the landing they needed. From there, they were faced with a long hallway. For the first few doors they traveled together, but soon the three seraphim in their party reached the room that was theirs. Here they parted ways and said goodnight. And so, Mikleo and Sorey traveled down the next few doors on their own. But then, they made it to the room that was indicated on their key.

"Well, here we are," Sorey said. Slipping the key into the lock, Sorey gave the door handle a turn. Then, pushing the door inward, the pair stepped inside. And as soon as they did, both stopped and gaped in awe at the view.

The entire opposite wall was made of glass. And because they were on the top most floor, their room was higher than the wall that surrounded Tolrin. As such, they had a perfect, breathtaking view of the Infinity Falls. The water fall filled the entire window and its waters streamed downward, pure and white. And because the last rays of the sun were still in the darkening sky, the waters seemed to glow a soft purple. Many more stars had appeared since Sorey and Mikleo had entered the inn, and now the sky seemed alive. It was gorgeous, and a perfect end to a perfect day.

"Wow," Mikleo said as he moved into the room. Stepping up and over to the large glass wall, he discovered that there was a balcony outside. The glass wall also consisted of a glass sliding door that would allow them to step out and smell the crisp air if they so desired. And of course, if they had wanted too, they could have closed the curtains on either side of the window too. But there was no need. For being as high up as they were, no one could see into their room.

"This is an amazing room," Mikleo said, excitement clearly in his voice. Turning, he went to look at Sorey, but as he did, Mikleo started to notice the rest of the room they were given. The inn room was much larger than any they'd ever slept in before. The furnishings were of top quality, and the dressers and night stand looked to be made from cherry wood. But the thing that caught Mikleo's attention the most was the bed. There was only one. And it was king sized and had the fanciest covers on it he'd ever seen. As he looked to it, his amethyst eyes widened with surprise.

"Is this…they gave us…the …" and he couldn't even bring himself to say it, for it was obvious that the attendant at the desk had purposefully given them the honeymoon suite. His cheeks immediately pinkened, and his widening eyes shifted to rest on Sorey.

"...I think they did," Sorey agreed, suddenly feeling both anxious and excited. The attendant had known they were a couple. Surely they'd done this on purpose.

Feeling flustered, Sorey wasn't sure how to proceed. He knew Mikleo felt embarrassed too, and that was good. That was great, actually, because maybe that meant he was thinking some of the same things Sorey was now thinking too.

The youth turned to look at the luxurious bed. It looked soft, almost impossibly so and he really wanted to find out.

He wanted a few other things too. But didn't know how to express that. And so he took the first step by literally taking the first step right towards Mikleo.

"They clearly wanted this to be special for us," he said softly, searching Mikleo's face for some subtle clues as to how the other young man was feeling.

But when Sorey took that step toward him, Mikleo suddenly found that his heart began to gallop away from within his chest. It pounded so suddenly and so powerfully that for just a second, he wondered if he wasn't going to see spots. Sorey was looking so handsome in the low light, and his face appeared more adult than Mikleo had ever remembered seeing it before. It all made him want to suddenly fling himself forward and into his arms. But at the same time…he felt petrified.

This was something he'd wanted for some time now, and it seemed as if there was no more perfect a moment than this. Everything was in place. And knowing that it was real, and that it would finally happen was so exciting and so frightening all at once that Mikleo didn't know how to move or what to do next. He barely remembered how to breathe.

Thankfully, Sorey was the one to close the distance between them. And when he stepped up, standing right in front of the water seraph, all Mikleo had to do was lift his gaze. And there of course, were the same soft, kind, green eyes as always. And as Mikleo had already explained to the shepherd before: Sorey put him at ease. Every time. All he needed was to have him near, take in his scent, and feel his energy coming off his skin. And just like that, all was right.

Holding Sorey's gaze with his own, Mikleo then knew exactly how to proceed.

"Dates…usually end with a kiss. Don't they?"

"Mmmn, I think they do," Sorey responded, moving to wrap his arms around Mikleo's waist and pulling him gently up against his body, holding him there for a moment. Then, letting his eyes flutter closed, Sorey leaned in and softly, but firmly, kissed his love.

A heady rush went straight through him, and the shepherd felt his heartbeat thunder to life. Mikleo felt so good in his arms, and to be with him like this...it was perfect. This was their time and Sorey wasn't going to let a second go to waste.

Sorey's lips, just like before in the ruins, ignited something inside of Mikleo. And their softness, and the way Sorey held him so dearly, made him want to melt into him. And when Mikleo felt Sorey's heart start to pound from within his chest like a drum, the yearning he had to feel the electricity in Sorey's skin only intensified.

He knew what he needed. And he knew that Sorey needed the same thing. His face already flushed, he peered at Sorey through the fading light, his amethyst eyes shining and soft. For only a moment, he held his gaze, but then, Mikleo reached up, wrapping his arms around the shepherd's back. Then, leaning in, he eagerly kissed him back, pressing his pale lips into Sorey's tanned. Closing his eyes, he let all of the hunger and desire he'd held onto for so long for the other youth go. For the first time in his life, he knew he would be free of it.

Sorey hummed, a deep, husky noise coming from his throat. Mikleo had deepened their kiss, and the sensation was slowly turning his blood into lava. At least that's what it felt like, and within seconds he felt dizzy and giddy and oh-so-good.

Sorey parted his lips, deepening their kiss even further, as he allowed one of his hands to arch upwards and lightly brush that silky soft aquamarine mane he loved so much. Just as before in the caves, Sorey thought it was impossibly soft, and he needed to touch Mikleo more, that instant.

Kissing Mikleo again, Sorey let his other hand slide up Mikleo's back, eager to feel the expanse of his muscles with his bare fingers. But of course, there was fabric in the way.

Mikleo didn't want to hold back. And he wasn't going to. This wasn't like the ruins. He and Sorey were alone. The sun was setting. The waterfall was at their side. And the door to their room was locked. No one would be interrupting them. And the moment was finally right. And only when things were in their proper place did a water seraph finally unleash the dam. He let his passions fill him. And within seconds, all he wanted was to drown in it.

"Sorey…" he whispered. And feeling his loves hands trying to get beneath his blue jacket, Mikleo reacted instinctively. Reaching out, he grabbed at Sorey's white cloak. Eagerly, and almost a little too eagerly, he lifted it up and over Sorey's head, removing it. He quickly tossed it aside. He wanted Sorey as Sorey, and not the shepherd.

Then, not wanting anything more than to be with the person he loved and cherished so dearly, he reached for the buttons on the front of his navy blue shirt. Impatiently, and almost rashly, he fumbled with them. But within only a second or two, he couldn't take the tediousness of it as his desires flooded him, and he simply started to rip at his shirt to get it out of the way.

"You too," Mikleo breathed. "You take mine off too."

Sorey was more than happy to oblige. With swiftness he reached up, and unzipped the cloak from the front, pulling the zipper down with relish. Then, he pushed the outer cloak up and off of Mikleo's shoulders, sliding them off of the seraph's toned arms, and let the garment fall flat on the floor.

Sorey was then aware that his sense of touch would be hindered since he still had his gloves on, and he was quick to take those off too, his green eyes never leaving the sight of Mikleo's now bare arms. Now...he was just in that black undershirt that Sorey loved so much, and with his gloves now off, he could explore the seraph's body the way he wanted to.

He moved forward and pulled Mikleo flush up against him once again, and kissed him deeply, letting his hands travel all over the seraph's body. He let them go up and under Mikleo's shirt, finally able to reach the expanse of his lightly toned back...and oh, it was even better than Sorey thought it would be.

Sparks raced through Mikleo's body. Sorey's touch was so wonderful that he could barely even breathe. He coveted every finger that glided across his white skin, and he let off a tremble of excitement as Sorey's palms gently caressed him. He wanted more and more, just like back at the ruins, and this time, he knew nothing would stop them.

Sorey's shirt was already unbuttoned from Mikleo's earlier efforts. And with his muscled chest and abdomen revealed, Mikleo found he wanted to touch him too. He wanted to explore him, know him, and memorize every part of him. And so reaching for him, he gently, yet passionately, ran his soft hands up against his skin. There were more sparks, and somehow, Mikleo grew even hotter inside, like a fire that was burning. And in feeling Sorey's skin, and in feeling Sorey's hands on his back, it was all Mikleo wanted now, to feel his body against his own. How wonderful would it be to be up against one another with no barriers between them? Surely then, the electricity he felt would be even more powerful.

Gliding his hands up to Sorey's shoulders, Mikleo grabbed at the navy blue shirt. Then effortlessly, he shoved it off of him. Then, without bothering to wait for Sorey to do the same to him, he took a step back, then grabbed at his own undershirt. In one, quick, fluid-like motion, he lifted it up and over his snowy white head. Tossing it to the floor, Mikleo paused for only a second.

He wanted to look Sorey over, even though they'd seen each other shirtless countless times before while swimming or bathing, this time…it was entirely different. This time, Mikleo wanted to take him in with his eyes just as much as he wanted to take him in with his hands. And…he wanted to see Sorey's face as he gazed at him. But even with just one look at Sorey's expression, Mikleo almost melted. The way Sorey was looking at him, with his green eyes so soft and so full of devotion and yearning…it was almost too much to bear. Mikleo could see how much he meant to Sorey in that one look.

His heart pounded. And even in just those few seconds of silence between them, Mikleo could hardly take more. He couldn't stand to be away from Sorey. He couldn't stand to not be in contact with him. And as wonderful as he looked, Mikleo knew that the heavy need, the desire that was flooding him, couldn't be satiated without touch. Unable to keep himself back for even such a short time, Mikleo breathed in,

"Oh Sorey…" he groaned. Then, as he'd wanted to do only moments before, he flung himself forward. Wrapping his arms up around him, he pressed his lithe body into Sorey's more muscular. And as their bodies came together, it was just as Mikleo had suspected: nothing could have been better than feeling Sorey against him.

Mikleo clutched at his bare back, he let the electricity course through him. And although he was once worried back in the ruins that he wouldn't know what to do when the time came, his body was reacting automatically on instinct.

The two wrapped each other back up into their arms. And unable to stay apart, their kissing continued. But at this point, it was clear what needed to be done.

"Take me to the bed…" Mikleo huffed. And Sorey was eager to comply. Together they stumbled backward until the mattress was at the back of Mikleo's knees. And then, together they fell onto the sheets.

From there, the night took on a surreal quality. With the waterfall as their backdrop, two silhouettes became indistinguishable from the other as they intertwined. Removing the last of their clothes, they each bore themselves to the other. Embracing, and never letting go, Mikleo clung to Sorey's back. He wanting nothing more than to feel him, be with him, and become bound together with him in a way that would last an eternity, even for a seraph. Only in this way could they never be separated. And as these desires started to come true, he felt nearly overwhelmed with ecstasy. The power of what he was experiencing both emotionally and physically was more than anything he'd ever imagined before.

And Sorey, as he held onto his trembling lover, could not imagine anything more precious existing in all of the world. He didn't need to go out and see the rest of it to know, that the most beautiful person both inside and out, was right here with him, bare, smooth, and shimmering with dew. He needed to sink himself into him. He needed to be with him. And he knew Mikleo needed this too, perhaps above all else. They both knew instinctively, and in the very center of their beings, that to come together like this physically, would also bind them spiritually. It was the closest two people could ever become. And the beauty in the act itself was so powerful that it caused both to cry out as they clung to one another in the darkness of the fading sun.

It felt like lightning striking the water. And both Sorey and Mikleo reveled in the feeling of the sparks and electricity that coursed through them. Every touch and every breath brought more of that sensation. And it was all they could do to cling to one another for support.

Near the end, Fireworks flashed in front of Mikleo's eyes. He might have been blind and he wouldn't have cared. His blood was pounding so furiously in his head that his ears started to ring. He wasn't even sure if he was still breathing anymore. All of his senses went dull or vanished all together. All of them were completely overridden by the only sense left that mattered: touch.

His entire being was besieged by it. And all that there was and all that he felt was Sorey.

Finally, the overwhelming demand of their bodies overcame them. The power that had been building up released, suddenly and forcefully, and the surge of lightning that had been coursing through their veins stopped.

Both collapsed to the bed, still in each other's arms. Gasping for breath and soaking wet from sweat they never let go of one another. And for just a moment, neither of them could move. But after only a few seconds, and while they were both still trying to remember how to breath, Sorey lifted a hand to Mikleo's face. There, he caressed his wet cheeks and he looked at him with those green, green eyes that gleamed in the dark with love for him. And when Mikleo saw the look on his face, he was so overcome with love and joy that tears gleamed in his amethyst eyes.

Breathing heavily, Sorey kissed Mikleo's cheek several times, until he noticed that his love was starting to cry.

Concerned, he asked, "Y-you okay?" And when he did, the most satisfied grin Sorey had ever seen on Mikleo's face, bloomed.

"Yes," he said breathlessly. "I'm just so happy. I never…never thought we could ever be this happy, this close. I'm…I'm overwhelmed, but with all good amazing things. I'm so full…the water's just leaking out…"

Reaching out his hand, Mikleo caressed Sorey's cheek in turn. Then, lovingly, he slid his fingers back into his thick, sweaty, chocolate locks. There, he played with a few of the stands while still gazing at him with the softest, most content, most love struck expression he had ever wore.

At that explanation, and seeing so many beautiful expressions on his lover's face, Sorey started to tear up a little too. He continued to caress Mikleo's cheek with his thumb, grinning like a complete idiot as he wiped away his seraph's tears.

"I'm so happy too," the brunet said, kissing Mikleo's lips softly, humming with content pleasure as his lover played with his hair. "I can't believe...it was amazing, being with you like that." Every ounce of adoration that shone in the water seraph's eyes was mirrored back in Sorey's. He planted a series of swift kisses on the seraph's neck, still smiling ear to ear, as he reveled in the afterglow with his lover, enjoying the simple feelings of being close with Mikleo, and basking in how good it felt to have his hair played with like that.

Mikleo exhaled as Sorey kissed his neck. It was nice, but he was just too tired to even move anymore. Now that it was all over, he was feeling how much energy he'd truly exerted. It left him sapped, and his body was shaking from muscle fatigue. Feeling more than just spent, he was still unwilling to let go of his Sorey.

Wrapping an arm around Mikleo's waist, Sorey brushed his hands through the seraph's hair, not caring that it was damp with sweat. He was just so overwhelmingly happy and proud of both himself and Mikleo for taking this step in their relationship.

"Mnnn..." he hummed softly, cherishing the feeling of the soft bed sheets underneath them. The mattress seemed like it was very comfortable, and while he still didn't have a lot of blood left in his brain, he was still able to appreciate again how nice their room was.

He paused, looking at his rosy-cheeked lover, and looked at Mikleo with the utmost adoration. "I love you so much," he whispered, content to lie there like that with his lover, as they recovered from their lovemaking.

After hearing Sorey say he loved him, Mikleo cuddled up against him further still so that he could sink into Sorey. Pressing himself into his love, he rested his head on his shoulder and draped his arm across his chest. There, he cuddled into him, nuzzling his pale nose into his neck.

"I love you too," he said. "More than I can even express. I wish…I wish there was another word, a more powerful word. One just for lovers. That's what I would use."

But even as he nuzzled into his love and even as he spoke his affectionate words, his lilac eyes started to flutter closed. He appeared simply exhausted. Even so, it looked like he was fighting sleep, even as it so clearly came to claim him. He didn't want to go to sleep, at least not right away. He wanted to look at Sorey's face, and feel his bare chest beneath his fingers. Mikleo contently and playfully ran his fingers over Sorey's chest for a few seconds, but even this didn't last long. Within a moment, he started to fall still, his eyes threatening to close.

"Love you…" he mumbled.

Sorey let his green eyes flicker closed as Mikleo ran his fingers over his chest. Everything felt so good, and Mikleo's words were as sweet as honey. But, just like his seraph lover, the shepherd couldn't fight sleep for much longer either. Caressing Mikleo's hair gently, he too started to fall into a peaceful slumber.

The last thing he was aware of before both young men fell asleep was the sensation of being completely warm and happy, and feeling more loved than he ever had felt before. And with that, the pair of them fell fast asleep in each other's arms, not to awaken again until morning.


	18. Chapter 18: Revelations

((Alright everyone, here we are all caught up for the time being. Ao3 is now up today with fanfiction.net. Any updates I make over there I will simultaneously make over here. Chapter 19 is almost complete and I'm planning on having it up sometime this weekend, probably on Sunday. So check back then! In the meantime, enjoy chapter 18! ~Spotofpaint))

** Chapter 18 **

Revelations

Mikleo slept in a way that he never had before. Normally, he was a light sleeper, woken at the slightest sound…or by Sorey’s occasional snoring or leg twitches. It was probably because his seraph body didn’t need deep sleep the way Sorey’s human body did. But that certainly wasn’t the case this time around. This time, Mikleo slept like the dead. He never stirred, moved, or even blinked throughout the night. And he didn’t have any dreams. He was so completely and utterly unconscious that even when morning came he didn’t rise at his usual time. Instead, it took some very loud banging at their inn door to finally start to rouse him.

“uu…uuugh…” he groaned. His head felt like a boulder, heavy and solid. And his eyelids might as well have been sewn shut. He couldn’t open them. And his muscles might as well have been made of led. He couldn’t move, and he felt as heavy as a brick. 

The knocking on their door came again, loud, insistent and with a BAM BAM BAM. He wasn’t even fully awake yet and it was giving him a headache. He groaned a second time, his voice coming from him in a weak, miserable way. And as his hearing finally started to come back to him, he heard familiar voices at the door.

“They never sleep in this late,” Lailah said. “I’m a little worried.”

“Eh, they’re fine,” Zaveid said, sounding completely sure of himself. “They probably stayed up all night reading all of those new information pamphlets they got. Nerds like that, probably couldn’t wait till morning to go to the library. Hell, they probably snuck out and got a few books behind our backs.”

“Yeah… _that’s_ what they were doing…” Edna grumbled. And for once, and perhaps just for a change of pace, it sounded like it was Edna who knew what it was they’d done and not Zaveid. 

“What, do you know something Edna?” Lailah asked. “You were the one keeping watch last night.” There was barely a second’s hesitation, and then a nonchalant, “nah.”

“Well whatever they were doing they have to get up. It’s almost ten.”

BANG BANG BANG! Came Zaveid’s heavy fist on the wooden door.

“Get up sleepy nerds!” He shouted. “Rise and shine! If one of you doesn’t answer soon, I’ll have to break down the door to assure you’re safe and not assassinated or somethin’!”

Mikleo let out another miserable groan. His hand twitched from on top of Sorey’s chest, exactly where he’d left it. And even though he still couldn’t bring himself to stir, he was amazed at the fact that he literally hadn’t moved a muscle.

“Sorey…” he mumbled, trying to rouse his partner. Maybe Sorey had more life in him than Mikleo had. At least he hoped he did. If he didn’t…Zaveid was going to break down the door.

Sorey had woken up when he'd heard the knocking. But like Mikleo, he hadn't moved an inch, albeit for different reasons. He was definitely tired, and also a little sore, but not to the extent of his lover. It had just felt so good to snuggle with his seraph that he hadn't wanted to move.

He'd thought if they ignored the pounding on the door, he could have a nice, cozy, quiet moment with Mikleo and take their time getting up before meeting with the others. Because surely Zaveid and the rest of the crew would take a hint and go downstairs once he realized they weren't getting up. Sorey hadn't been aware of the time, though, when he'd had that thought, and judging from what Zaveid had just said, he wasn't going to get that little private moment with Mikleo quite in the same way he'd wanted to.

Noticing his love's incapability of moving, Sorey decided that since Mikleo needed him to do something about it, he would. That and he really didn't want them bursting into their room and seeing them like this.

"Mmn, I'm awake," he said softly to his lover. Then, turning his head away from the seraph, so as not to shout directly in his ear, he tried to address the rest of their team that was waiting outside their door.

"We're awake!" he said. "Please stop banging on the door...we're just about to get up," he said, loud enough that they could probably hear him. Probably.

The banging did stop after Sorey shouted. But only for a second before Zaveid shouted back,

“Why aren’t you answering the door? Are you guys really still in bed?” There was a pause. “Are you guys ok?”

“They’re _fine!”_ Edna suddenly hissed from between her teeth. “I’m telling you, we should just wait for them downstairs in the dining hall now that we know they’re awake. _Please,_ can’t we just go?”

And Mikleo had at the very least heard Edna’s suggestion from through the barrier. And still barely able to move, he patted Sorey’s chest with his palm.

“That…” he groaned. “Have them do that.”

Sorey nodded in understanding, and not moving anything other than his neck and his head again, called out to his bewildered team mates.

"Just wait for us downstairs!" he called out, shutting his eyes, and refusing to do anything other than yell. He wanted to take his time getting ready with Mikleo. He wanted to cuddle, and he wanted the others to take a hint. He knew Zaveid could be a little slow on the uptake, but...not usually about things like this. Why did it seem like Edna, of all people, was insisting that they leave him and Mikleo alone for a little while?

Incapable of thinking about that for more than a second, he called out again. "Please! Just...wait downstairs!"

“Well, I guess that means they’re ok,” came Lailah’s quiet voice. Unable to see it, the pair could practically _feel_ Zaveid shrug.

“Well ok. Whatever you want your shepherdness.”

“Thank God,” Edna sighed. “Let’s go.”

The three seraphs turned and walked away after that, leaving Sorey and Mikleo alone at least for a little while longer. Once it quieted down and Mikleo found himself finally awake, he let his violet eyes flutter open. Looking to Sorey, he yawned, then finally made an attempt to move as he stretched, lifting his arms up and over his head.

“Uugh…” he groaned again. But even so, after he finished stretching, a small smile came over his face as he resettled back into his original position, arm still draped across Sorey’s chest. “Good morning,” he said.

And just like that, everything was better again, now that the threat of Zaveid barging in had gone away.  
Sorey smiled in return, and reached up and clasped the hand Mikleo had left splayed across his chest, then pulled it up towards his mouth so he could kiss it.

"Good morning," he said, his green eyes twinkling with happiness. "Sleep well?" he asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to ask anyway. 

Mikleo chuckled when Sorey kissed his hand. He’d never been so sweet before. 

“I think I slept like a human,” Mikleo confessed. “Is this how you usually sleep? It was like being unconscious.”

Sorey laughed softly. 

"Yes," he stated, not letting go of Mikleo's hand. Instead, he was content to rub his thumb across the seraph's knuckles, still amazed by how soft his skin was, even though he'd become quite familiar with just how soft the entirety of Mikleo was the night before.

"I’m usually out like a log. Totally unconscious. I was last night too," the shepherd admitted before yawning. "I guess we needed it, after..." he trailed off, before his smile grew larger, making his eyes sparkle a little more. The night before had been so amazing. He could hardly still believe it had happened, but waking up with Mikleo like this was proof that he hadn't dreamed it up at all. He and his love had truly become one, intertwined souls...and it had been amazing.

Mikleo’s soft smile remained. 

“I guess so,” he agreed. 

The pair lay together, content and happy for a few moments, simply basking in the glow of the late morning sun and in the comfort of one another. The water from the Infinity Falls just outside their window was stunning with the blue sky above them. There were barely any clouds. And the ones that were there were light and wispy. Mikleo watched the water fall in the background as he stared at Sorey’s face. And for just those few moments, he let his heart fill with the love he felt for him. But he knew their moment was over. 

They had their day off. They’d taken full advantage of their date. And afterward, they’d bathed in one another, soaking each other in, in the way he’d always dreamed. And now that they’d finally been able to do those things…their responsibilities came creeping back in. Reaching out, he lovingly caressed the side of Sorey’s cheek.

“We have to get up,” he said. And as much as he loathed too, he knew that it was always his job to remind Sorey and their group of their quest and the importance of it. “You’re the shepherd,” he said softly. “And the world needs you. If we don’t fix what Heldalf’s broken, if he goes unchecked…we can’t be like this together. We still haven’t made the world a place where humans and seraphim can live together…” And as happy as Mikleo was in that moment, Sorey could easily see the sorrow that crept into his loves lilac eyes as he was reminded of such sadness. 

He knew Mikleo was right. That didn't mean he wanted to admit it though.

"I know..." he whispered, sorrow entering his own eyes. He was happy and proud to be the shepherd, and he knew that what they were doing was important. But these moments with Mikleo were literally a dream come true...or part of it anyway.

If they wanted their dream to become a complete reality, then they had work to do.

"Okay," he conceded. "I guess...we have to get up," he said, sounding a little pouty. "At least we get to go to the library," he offered, already feeling a little bolstered himself at that thought. They were both nerds, so it's not like the day would be a complete chore.

Staying in bed with his love was still more enticing, but they had work to do. And so, he kissed his seraph soundly and softly on the lips, letting it linger for a long moment, before pulling away. "Okay," he repeated. "I guess we should get up," and it took every ounce of effort inside himself to sit up, moaning as he did so.

Mikleo let Sorey get up and out of bed first and for just a second, he allowed himself to admire the view of him from behind. If Mikleo had been attracted to him before, then he was ten times more so now that they’d connected. But Sorey eventually went to gather his clothes and Mikleo tried to keep himself on track. Once they were dressed, he was sure it’d be easier to get down to business. And so, he put his hands out against the mattress and went to push himself up. As soon as he did, he felt how stiff all of the muscles in his body were. He winced, and then let out a groan.

Sorey immediately stopped what he was doing and turned around, alarmed at the sound Mikleo had made. And when he laid eyes on the water seraph, that alarm swiftly melded into concern.

Hurrying over towards his love, the green eyed youth placed a soft hand on his lover's back, peering with much worry at Mikleo.

"Are you okay?" Dread started to fill him. Had he hurt his Mikleo during their lovemaking? He would feel terribly if he had. "Do you need help?"

Mikleo finished sitting up. And once he did, he lifted his gaze to Sorey and smiled reassuringly.

“I’m fine,” he said honestly. “Please don’t worry; I’m just a little sore. It was our first time after all.” But when Sorey’s worry lines didn’t disappear from his face right away, Mikleo knew he needed more reassurance. He chuckled, “Sorey, you were a perfect gentlemen. Really. Very tender and caring. And so astute to my needs. I was actually really impressed! I thought you’d be a bit more bumbling, you know, the way you usually are for most other things.”

And Mikleo knew that just a bit of teasing was exactly what was needed to chase away those worry lines on his loves face. 

Sorey blushed. "H-hey!" he protested, feeling embarrassed but also relieved, and a little bit proud because of the compliments. Mikleo had known just exactly what to say to ease his fears, and sure enough, he was no longer worried.

"Well, I..." he started to explain, but realized he didn't need to. Mikleo knew exactly what he meant. They both knew how impossibly important last night had been for the both of them and he knew very good and well that Sorey would never hurt him, never on purpose. It went without saying.

So instead, Sorey planted a kiss firmly on Mikleo's forehead, smiling in happiness. "You were pretty amazing too, you know," he said, always happy to repay a compliment with another.

Mikleo, even after last night, wasn’t so good at taking compliments, and so a quick pink blush came over his cheeks. Not knowing what to say, he didn’t say anything at all. Instead, he got up, placing his pale feet on the carpeted floor. True to his word, he appeared fine as he started moving around the room in order to gather his clothes. The only noticeable difference was the slight stiffness in his usually much more fluid motions. It was big enough of a difference that the others might notice, but he hoped that they wouldn’t. 

After locating his missing items of clothing, Mikleo started to get dressed. Moving through the late morning light, it was nice to gaze at the waterfall as he pulled his items on. A few moments later they were both ready to go. But even though they were now fully clothed, they had rushed to try and get themselves together. And they were also still a little inebriated from the flood of emotions and hormones they’d experienced the night before. As such, neither was as kempt as usual. Not wanting to keep the others waiting any longer than they already had, Sorey skipped his morning shower, and Mikleo had forgotten to comb his hair. Mikleo _never_ forgot to comb his hair. And because of that, and the other aforementioned signs, the party noticed straight away that something was off as the pair entered the dining hall.

As Sorey and Mikleo made their way across the hall and over to the table where they saw their friends sitting, all three seraphs had their eyes on them. It wasn’t completely obvious right away, but clearly there was enough off about them to make the other’s stare. Or at least it made Zaveid and Lailah stare. Edna seemed intent to focus on anything _other_ than the new couple. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glanced, annoyed, off and to the side.

“Good morning,” Mikleo greeted, as monotone as usual. Then, carefully, he took his seat. Sorey sat beside him. And after they were seated, they stared right back at Lailah and Zaveid. Silence settled down upon their table.

“What?” Mikleo asked. 

Zaveid’s eyes narrowed as he seemed to critically analyze the two young men before him.

“You didn’t fix your hair this morning,” he observed. And Mikleo, always a little self conscious about his looks, immediately lifted both hands to his silver and blue locks and began to run his fingers through them in order to fix them. But he’d hardly started when Zaveid continued,

“And you’re moving kinda weird. When you walked in just now…you seemed stiff. We didn’t fight any hellions or get caught up into any battles yesterday. Why would you be sore?”

Suddenly, Edna kicked out her foot from under the table, jabbing her boot harshly into Zaveid’s shin.

“OW!” Zaveid cried, “What was that for?!” But even before Edna had kicked him, Mikleo’s cheeks started to turn pink with embarrassment. 

Sorey's blush was only a few seconds behind his boyfriend's, and unlike Mikleo, he immediately started to verbally protest.

"We're fine," he insisted quickly, his green eyes a little more narrowed than maybe they should be, even as his blush darkened. Normally he'd be touched by Zaveid's concern, but because last night's events had been so special and intimate, Sorey didn't _want_ to let the air seraph know. He and Mikleo were private individuals, and they didn't really want the perverted Zaveid to know what they'd been up to.

Plus...wasn't it considered rude to talk about such things in public? Wouldn't that be indecent? Sorey might be new to human manners and general rules of politeness, but he was pretty sure that talking about such matters was definitely rude.

That, and he didn't want them all staring at him and Mikleo or making a commotion about their late night activities together.

He did, however, get this curious question in his head about Edna. Why had she kicked Zaveid?

Zaveid was still rubbing his shin and glaring at Edna when he asked,

“We?”

Mikleo facepalmed. He knew Sorey had been trying to defend them, or perhaps make it less obvious, but he’d only made it worse with two little words. And as Zaveid sat back up and looked to the pair again, he puzzled over it.

“Why would you say we? Are you sore too Sorey?” Edna groaned, then there was a second of even more silence, far more awkward than before. And as Zaveid glanced from Sorey to Mikleo, noting how Mikleo was hiding his face in his hand, Zaveid made that moment _way_ worse by following up with, “What on earth did you guys do last night?”

There was a third, long, dreadful, bought of silence. It settled upon them like molasses, thick and heavy. But then it was during this time that Lailah’s face fell open to sudden surprise. Her mouth falling agape, her turquoise eyes grew huge as she inhaled a gasp.

Both boys looked to her, seeing the obvious recognition come over her face as she put the pieces together. Panic overtaking Mikleo, he quickly started to wave his hands at her.

“No no! Lailah! Don’t!”

But Lailah was too good of a friend to suddenly blurt something embarrassing out to the entire table before them. Instead, a wide, sweeping grin overtook her features. She was clearly very delighted for her travel companions. After all, she’d been rooting for them from the very beginning. Clasping her hands in front of her face, she struggled to contain herself. 

“I’m so happy for you two!” she cried. But that was all she said. But of course, this was enough to make Zaveid turn to her in befuddlement.

“Happy for them why?” he asked. And when he saw the expression on her face, “Hey! You know something!” he accused. “Come on Lailah! This is something juicy, I can tell. Let me in on the secret too! I hate being the last to know everything.”

Edna suddenly and sharply kicked Zaveid in the shin again, harder than she had before. 

“OWW!” Zaveid cried, his hands going to his leg all over again. “Why do you keep kicking me?!”

“Shut up!” Edna quickly barked. “Just stop talking! We don’t have to talk about this! If you shut up now and stop asking questions we can all go about our day as usual! We can order breakfast and go to the library and then no one has to suffer an indecent conversation!”

It was very clear to everyone then, that Edna already knew. And now, suddenly Mikleo became aware of the fact that everyone seemed to already know everything except Zaveid. His purple eyes widening, he gaped at Edna. How had she found out? 

Edna saw his expression, and quickly a glower came over her face. With a bit of a snarl, she crossed her arms over her chest in agitation once more.  
“I was your lookout last night, idiot!” She shouted. “Did you forget we were doing that for you? Judging from your stupefied look, you did!”

Mikleo’s eyes couldn’t get any wider. But his pink face quickly bloomed into a brilliant red. The color spread all the way out and to his ears. He _had_ forgotten. And with Edna reminding him, he realized what that really meant: it meant Edna had been standing just outside their door. She’d probably heard everything.

Sorey let out an undignified groan, and promptly hid his now-crimson face behind his hands, shrinking down into the seat so his traveling companions couldn't see his obvious mortification.

"Oh my god," he said quietly. If she had been at their door, then that meant she'd heard everything. Absolutely _everything._ And that would include all of Mikleo's moans and cries…they hadn’t exactly held back since they thought they had one hundred percent privacy.

"Oh no," he said again, too embarrassed to meet the short blonde's eyes. "I-I we…forgot..."

“No shit,” Edna chastised. “Next time you plan on doing something like that, do me a favor and let me know so I don’t have to stand by your door and listen to it.”   
“No one made you stand by our door!” Mikleo suddenly shouted, defending both himself and Sorey. “You could have left at anytime. In fact you should have out of decency once you realized what was happening in respect of our privacy!” he huffed. “And this whole conversation’s getting a little out of hand! Yes, Sorey and I are together! We’ve been dating a little while now so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone! Everyone here already knows how much we love each other! And this is what both humans and seraphs alike do when they’re in love!”

And although he’d shouted such things in defense, it only seemed to make his blush worse. There was no brighter shade of red than what he was sporting currently. And if it got any worse, Lailah was afraid he’d get a nose bleed. 

“Oh my!” Lailah exclaimed while giggling with delight. And for just a second’s hesitation, nothing else was said, until suddenly Zaveid let out a sudden, very _loud,_ gasp.

“Oh my God!” He cried, his orange eyes huge. “You guys had _sex!”_

And the announcement being shouted out loud like that would have mortified Mikleo earlier, but he was already at his limit. Having already been pushed pretty far from Edna and the entire situation itself, he quite suddenly stood up, slapping one hand down on the table top while the other went to his hip. Leaning in, with quite a bit of attitude, he faced the others head on.

“Yes!” he admitted. “Yes, we most certainly did! And anything past that is none of your business! And I’m not going to let any of you make me feel badly about it! It was the single most beautiful thing I’ve ever done, and I loved every second of it and I won’t be ashamed of something so perfect!”

Lailah couldn’t take any more, her heart swelled from within her chest. She rose to her feet. A bright smile still on her lips, tears now glimmered in her eyes. Within a few steps she rushed around the table to meet Mikleo. And when she closed the distance between them, she didn’t hesitate: she reached out and threw her arms around him. Mikleo gaped, eyes wide with surprise as Lailah hugged him tightly to herself.

“Lailah…” 

“No one’s trying to make you feel ashamed,” she immediately corrected. “We’re all very happy for you. And I, personally, am so proud of you. Both of you. There’s no distance between you at all. You don’t…you don’t even seem to realize that there’s normally a very large separation between humans and seraphim. You’re both so young, and you love each other so much that you just…you…don’t even realize…”

And then she _was_ crying. Mikleo, alarmed, tried to pull back so he could look at her face. But Lailah didn’t let go, and in fact, she only held him tighter. 

“Lailah…are you ok?” Mikleo asked. Very quickly, the fire seraph composed herself. Then, pulling back from her much younger party member, she smiled at him, brightly, and supportively through her tears.

“Yes!” she said, joy in her voice. “I’m just overwhelmed with the happiness I feel for you!” But Mikleo thought he heard something else in her voice other than just joy. But whatever it was, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. And so, choosing to ignore it for the time being, he let a small smile of his own come over his face.

“Thank you Lailah. That means a lot to me…to us.” Turning, Mikleo smiled Sorey’s way. 

Sorey was still trying to process everything that was going on. Edna had been, well, very Edna with her response. So had Zaveid. And then Mikleo had said all of those _things_ that made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

And then of course, there was Lailah's reaction to take in, too. It seemed like she sincerely was really happy for them. It was nice; the fire seraph had always supported them, since the very beginning of their journey. It had been Lailah who'd pushed Sorey to understand why Mikleo had to come along, regardless of Sorey's fear of the water seraph being hurt once he became the shepherd. And now...she was so moved by their coming together that she was crying.

"It means so much," Sorey said, echoing his boyfriend's sentiments. He stood up and reached out, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "You've always supported us. Thank you, Lailah. The rest of you, too," he said, looking towards Zaveid and Edna, smiling brightly at the rest of his traveling companions. 

Even if Edna was grumpy and bitter about having to guard them last night, she'd still looked out for them and let them have their moment together. Sorey agreed with Mikleo: she probably should've not been out in front of their door, but he recognized her steadfastness and loyalty by protecting them anyway. The earth seraph wasn't mushy or sweet, but she showed she cared in her own way. And Sorey could respect and appreciate that. 

Edna shrugged and Zaveid flashed a bright grin as he threw two thumbs up into the air. 

“Yeah!” he hollered. “You get you some shepherd!”

Mikleo groaned, looking _very_ unimpressed.

“Do you have to be so lewd?”

“You too Mikky! You’ve been wanting that tail for a while now! And all your efforts paid off!”

“Oh my God…”

Both Mikleo and Edna alike put hands to their faces.

“Edna, hit him for me?” Mikleo requested.

“With pleasure.”

WHACK! Her umbrella came down on top of Zaveid’s head before he had a chance to move.

“OW! Again? I’m getting more beat up by you then the damned hellions!”

Lailah laughed, and eventually everyone sat back down in their seats at the table. Once re-situated, Sorey called over the waitress. They all ordered their breakfast, or brunch, as Edna pointed out, and things settled back down into their normal routine. With the news of Sorey and Mikleo’s night out of the way, they fell back to the things they usually discussed: the new town they were in, the things they did yesterday with their free time, how much of a pervert Zaveid was, and what their plans were for the near future.

The food eventually came, and the party joked and laughed with one another over a good meal. Edna occasionally poked Mikleo in his side with her umbrella tip, and Zaveid never gave up on flirting with Lailah. Sorey once asked Lailah a question about the previous shepherd, and as was her way, she immediately turned and focused on a bird that was seated on the windowsill of the dining hall. She enthused about his brilliant plumage, and immediately made a pun about it. Mikleo swatted Edna’s umbrella away, a sour look on his face as Zaveid stole a bite of food off of Lailah’s plate. 

Filling up on the hot food, all of them were feeling pretty good. But eventually, plates emptied and so did their cups. With everything gone and the bill paid, there was nothing left to do but head out and to the library. After thanking the waitress and leaving a tip, they left the Water Crest Inn.

Stepping into the library, Sorey and Mikleo were impressed in a way the others in their party simply couldn’t understand. The two boys both shared the same expression: eyes shining like stars, mouths agape, grins on their faces, and delight on their features. They stared in awe at the huge, five story, vaulted ceilings. The rows upon rows of books in oak cases that towered over their heads. The giant windows that took up the entirety of the back wall. And of course, the smell of parchment and ink, which both inhaled deeply. 

“Oh Sorey! Look! Flying buttresses!” Mikleo cried with delight while pointing. “The library building itself is historical! Judging from the architecture, it has to be from the late gothic era. So according to the tour guide we had yesterday, that would date this to be one of the original buildings built when shepherd Ulric and the water seraphim lived here.”

"Wow..." And Sorey stared, practically drooling his mouth was open so wide. "And despite the age of the buttresses, they're still in wonderful condition," he said, noted how there was only but a little bit of wear and tear on the building. "It's clearly been taken care of!"

And that pleased him greatly. The people of Tolrin obviously cared greatly about education and therefore, their library, if they'd kept the building up like this.   
"And to think...Ulric might have been in this library too," he said more softly, his green eyes shining with delight. There was something about knowing another shepherd had been here...or more specifically, one who'd had a special relationship with a water seraph himself. Sorey felt connected to Ulric, or at least, he felt connected to the idea of the previous shepherd being somewhat similar to him. 

Throwing a hand up in the air with excitement, he turned to beam at his boyfriend. "This is so exciting!"

And then of course, as soon as Sorey shouted, his voice echoing off the large walls, the librarian at the front desk held a finger to her lips and hissed.

“Shh!” She chastised, a cross look on her face. Sorey quickly blushed with embarrassment.

“S-sorry,” he whispered to her. Mikleo immediately started to chuckle, folding a hand up near his chin in amusement. 

“It’s hardly fair is it?” came his teasing tones. “I can shout all I’d like and I won’t get reprimanded for it. You on the other hand…” Mikleo grinned in a fox-like way.

Sorey frowned at his boyfriend. It totally _wasn't_ fair. Mikleo could get away with almost anything, but he never could. Not that he'd been trying to get away with anything. He was just really excited to be in the library.

"Yeah, I'll get all the blame," he whispered, trying to be extra-careful and quiet so the scary librarian wouldn't yell at them again.

In a way, that was sort of funny. He faced hellions countless times during each day they were on the road. And yet he was afraid of making the librarian angry.  
Determined not to think too much on that, he started to look around at all of the shelves, trying to get a good idea as to where everything was according to the labeled plaques they had on each end of the isles. After strolling around for a second, Mikleo and the rest of the crew following behind, he quickly figured out which direction he needed to go to find the older books. 

"It's great," he whispered to Mikleo. "They've organized everything very clearly," he stated, appreciating how much time the various librarians and workers must have taken to organize such a collection.

Mikleo appreciated the organization too, and because it was done so well, the shepherd and his team were able to find the section they needed rather quickly. They ended up traveling all the way to the back of the first floor, underneath one of the balconies that lead upward. Here, in the corner, all of the history books from the time period of when Heldalf was alive were located. And because Heldalf was such a famous historical figure as it was, he even had a few books dedicated to him.  
“Others have already researched him before us,” Mikleo said, noting how many authors had chosen to write about him. “This’ll make things a lot easier.”

The party started to pull several books off of the shelves: books about Tolrin, previous shepherds, Heldalf, hellions, the age of chaos, and even seraphim. And then, finding a large nearby table that would accommodate them all, they sat down. And from that point on, they read.

Hours went by in silence. The only sound was of a page being turned on occasion. Sometimes someone would clear their throat, or shift positions in their seat. But other than that, there was nothing. Sorey and Mikleo seemed very content, but others in their party started to fidget and get bored. The first one to drop out was Edna. Groaning and sighing, and after stretching out her legs from within her seat a half dozen times, she finally announced she was getting up to give herself a break. Standing, she then left their table to take a walk outside.

Zaveid only lasted maybe ten minutes after that. Also bored and wanting to take a break, he stood up and stretched his arms up and over his head. 

“Catch you guys later,” and then he was gone as well. And so, the only three remaining were Sorey, Mikleo and Lailah. Lailah at the very least seemed as content as the two boys, and so, she stayed with them for another hour or so after ward.

After a time, Mikleo finished the book he was reading about blessings and curses. Closing its cover, he lifted his head and looked across the table from where he sat from Sorey. Sorey was resting his chin in his palm, and he appeared very intent to continue reading his book about relationships between seraphim and the shepherd. 

Mikleo watched him silently for a short time, looking on as his green eyes moved back and forth across his page. He could practically see the information being absorbed into him. And even when all he was doing was reading…Mikleo decided he was cute. His heart fluttered briefly then turned to look at Lailah. 

He watched her for a few seconds too as she read. But he never said anything and he never picked up another book. Finally, it was Lailah that noticed him staring in a strange kind of silence. Slipping a finger into the page where she was reading so as not to lose her place, she slowly closed the book cover. Smiling softly she addressed him,

“Was something on your mind Mikleo?” 

He didn’t answer right away. And instead, he appeared hesitant. But then he slowly nodded.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I got an idea of something that might help us defeat Heldalf while reading but…” and then he turned his gaze across the table to the green eyed shepherd, “Sorey won’t like it.”

Sorey was completely and utterly absorbed in his book. He felt like he was onto something that could potentially be either very good, or very bad. Possibly, what he was thinking about would be both good and bad. He wasn't so sure just yet. But his book was talking about how, from time to time, humans could become seraphim. That was a fascinating idea, one he'd heard before during their travels. But more than that...he was starting to wonder just how deep the malevolence went. Say they did defeat Heldalf. Then what? Wouldn't Maotelus just find another way to eventually make the malevolence strike out again? Wasn't there something that could be done about that?

While thinking so deeply about these things, he was also very unaware of the conversation currently taking place between Lailah and Mikleo.

The fire seraph's thin eyebrows crunched together a little as she peered at Mikleo. Something Sorey wouldn't like?

"Oh?" she questioned, folding her hands in front of her. "What kind of idea?" she whispered.

Mikleo looked to Sorey once more. He almost couldn’t believe he wasn’t listening. After all, the library was silent other than their voices. But…that was until he saw Sorey’s face. Sorey was concentrating hard, and as Mikleo studied him, he saw a troubled expression start to overcome his handsome features. Sorey seemed to be getting some sort of idea of his own. And whatever it was, he had to think through it: hard. Maybe while he puzzled over his own thoughts, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to talk to Lailah first. Maybe Mikleo wouldn’t have to worry Sorey if Lailah said his plan wouldn’t work.

Lifting his lilac eyes back to the fire seraph, he carefully started to explain what he’d been thinking,

“We already know how Heldalf became what he is from what we’ve seen in the iris gems,” he said. “We know that he was once just a human being, but when the previous shepherd cursed him, that’s when he became immortal and full of malevolence. I was thinking, what if all we had to do was break the curse? If we broke the curse, than he would no longer be immortal. Then we could purify him just like any other hellion.”

Lailah was silent as he spoke. She clearly knew that this wasn’t all Mikleo had in mind. After all, it was a good idea, and nothing he just said would be upsetting to Sorey. And so, she waited a moment to see if Mikleo would continue. But when he didn’t, she knew he’d need some gentle prodding.

“And?” she asked. “What are you proposing we do to break the curse?”

Mikleo swallowed. His eyes flickered to Sorey, but Sorey was still reading his book and looking very troubled. He wasn’t listening. 

“Well…if what this book suggests is true, then the best way to remove a curse is to use a lot of the same elements from when it was originally placed. The only difference would be to bestow a blessing instead. The book says that using the same catalyst and energies from before would resonate with the subject in question, creating the best channel for the blessing.”

Mikleo stopped again. And once more Lailah had to prompt him.

“And?”

“And…” He glanced to Sorey a third time. Seeing him still absorbed, he looked back to Lailah. “Heldalf was cursed when the previous shepherd used me as a sacrifice when I was a baby. My energies and life-force combined with the shepherd’s power did this. As a party, we have all of the original elements. We have the shepherd and his power, we have the Prime Lord, and we have…well, me. 

What if…what if Sorey armatizes with me, then uses his power to send me into Heldalf? Once I enter him like I did before, isn’t it feasible that I would be able to bestow a blessing on him from within, essentially removing the curse entirely?”

Lailah looked troubled as she thought over this possibility. She was silent for several moments, but finally spoke up.

"I think it's a good idea, but such a move would put you in a tremendous amount of danger, Mikleo," she said, leaning forward in her seat as she met eyes with her sub lord. "In theory, it certainly sounds like something that would work. But the potential for this to backfire on you is great."

Sorey had missed most of the conversation, but he'd managed to hear at least this last portion. He quickly put his book down for the moment, and looked to his boyfriend. 

"Something that would put you in danger?" he questioned, his green eyes troubled. What he'd been reading was troubling, but the thought of Mikleo being in danger, more so than usual, of course made him concerned.

Mikleo turned, looking to the shepherd.

“Yes,” he fully admitted, openly and right away. “Lailah and I were just discussing the idea of breaking the curse on Heldalf in order to make it possible for us to purify him. I think I’ve figured out a way of doing that.” Mikleo quickly re-explained everything he’d just said to Lailah. Once Sorey was up to speed, Mikleo faced the fire seraph once more. 

“So if I were to do this, what are the dangers exactly? As a seraphim, I think I already instinctively know how to bestow a blessing. I would simply take my energies and push them outward and into Heldalf, correct?”

"Well," Lailah started in her sing-song voice. "We won't know exactly what the dangers are, since nothing like this has even been attempted before, at least not to my knowledge," the fire seraph admitted, making eye contact with both Sorey and Mikleo as she spoke. 

"But, yes, you are correct: that is essentially how you bestow a blessing. You're powerful for your age, and have wonderful control over your energies. I doubt you would have any issues pushing the energy outwards," she said, folding her hands downward onto the table.

"But the problem arises with the potential for backlash. You would leave yourself open and vulnerable to Heldalf's energy - or rather, his malevolence," she said, as her turquoise green eyes darkened. "It would essentially be possible for him in return to try and push back with the malevolence. You would have to have extreme concentration and battle with your willpower against his. If you wavered, then..." But she knew she didn't need to explain any further. Both the shepherd and her sub lord were intelligent. They both knew what happened when seraphim became corrupt with malevolence.

Mikleo was quiet for a few seconds more as he thought over what Lailah was telling him. But he didn’t spend too much time pondering it.

“I can do it,” he said calmly and with his usual confidence. “At risk of sounding conceited, I don’t believe it’s possible for me to become corrupted by malevolence. At least not at this time.”

Sorey frowned slightly. He knew he needed to show Mikleo support; his love needed to know that Sorey was on his side. He knew that. And it wasn't that he didn't trust Mikleo, or didn't believe he could do it. No, he knew better than anyone just how pure and determined the water seraph was. It's just that he was worried. He was always worried about Mikleo doing dangerous things. But he knew better than to hold him back. They had their dream to work towards...and they'd known from the very beginning that it would be dangerous. If anyone could do it...it would be Mikleo. Sorey knew that. And so, with those thoughts, the shepherd made his support verbally known. 

"Then that sounds like a plan," Sorey said, his green eyes shining with determination.

Lailah was quiet for a moment, but smiled softly and nodded in agreement. "Yes, then you shall give it your all! I believe in you too, Mikleo."

Mikleo smiled softly at his team members.

“Good. Then we might finally be prepared to face off against Heldalf once more, and soon. If we can remove the curse, than that’s most of our fight. Without it, he’ll lose most of, if not all of his power. He’ll simply be a corrupted human otherwise. And we’ve dealt with those. Although they can still be very powerful, as we just experienced I the desert.”

He looked from Sorey to Lailah and then back again.

“I think the only thing left we haven’t figured out, is what to do about Maotelus. After we sever the tie between him and Haldalf…he’ll still be corrupted, right? And doesn’t that mean he’ll continue to poison the earth with malevolence?”

Lailah nodded in confirmation.

“Then…we need to purify him somehow. Or get him a vessel other than Heldalf. A pure vessel who would cleanse him.”

But of course, this question was far more difficult to figure out than the previous question of breaking the curse, and both Lailah and Mikleo fell silent as they puzzled over it.

But what Mikleo and Lailah didn't know was that Sorey had already considered a few options. And as far as he could tell, the best vessel to purify Maotelus would be none other than himself.

The book he'd been so intensely absorbed in had talked about how, on occasion, a pure-hearted human with high levels of resonance could, in fact, become a seraph after death. That made him feel a little better about the other things he'd read. The book had proposed the notion that shepherds are inherently considered to be more pure than some others, hence their ability to see and talk with seraphim and perform the acts they need in order to, well, purify hellions. And Sorey believed he was pretty pure. The others teased him about it an awful lot. Moreover, he had a very positive attitude and refused to believe that Heldalf would win this war. Call that belief the result of his naiveté or whatever, Sorey was confident he could do it. He believed in himself and his incorruptibility the same way Mikleo believed in his own.

But purifying such a powerful malevolence could take years. It could very well kill him. There was no guarantee his plan would work. And then there was the other part of his and Mikleo's dream: creating a world in which humans and seraphim could live side by side. Or, in their case, together as a couple. He'd learned very early on with his experiences with Alisha that in order to spread his resonance, he had to give up so many of his senses. And so Sorey had come up with the theory that he could fall asleep, shut off all of his senses, and be a vessel for Maotelus. And while he slept, he'd purify Maotelus so the earth couldn't be corrupted anymore. And then, while he dreamed, he could spread his resonance out as much as possible. Maybe other humans would be able to see seraphim after a while.

But how could he even propose this idea to the others, much less to Mikleo? Sorey almost wished he hadn't read the stupid book now. He needed to think more on this. There were a lot of loop holes in his theory, and there was no way he was going to bring up such a drastic, life-altering suggestion until he'd done more research, and thought on every possible outcome as much as possible. He knew they didn't exactly have an eternity to decide. But, if things went the way he wanted to, the way he hoped they would, he could potentially purify Maotelus, and thereby purify the earth, and also spend the rest of eternity with his beloved as a seraphim.  
Even thinking it sounded too good to be true. Could such a thing happen?

Sorey's heart swelled with pained emotions, and he looked away and to the side as he thought, his green eyes darkening with discomfort. He and Mikleo had just taken such a huge step in their relationship. He didn't want to...

Die? Well, death was a distinct possibility every time they went into battle. They'd known that all along, right from the very first time he'd agreed to become the shepherd. The hardship and the battles he faced made the moments with Mikleo that much sweeter, and that much more precious. He'd known all along that they'd had limited time together. But what if they didn't have to have just one single human lifetime together? What if his idea actually worked and he became a seraphim? Then he could spend so much time with his love. But what would be the cost of that? How long would he have to sleep? Sorey wanted to continue trying to find an answer to his questions. Then, and only then, could he talk to Mikleo about what he was thinking about.

Mikleo and Lailah were completely unaware of Sorey’s thoughts and plans. And as such they continued to puzzle on their own. That was, until Edna and Zaveid finally came back to rejoin them. Walking up to the table where everyone sat, Edna scoffed,

“Geeze, you bookworms are still at it?” she teased. And with that, their concentration was broken. 

Mikleo let out a heavy sigh.

“It has been a long day,” he admitted. 

“And we’ve been studying for hours,” Lailah chimed. 

“I suppose we should stop. Sorey’s eyes need to rest after all.” Mikleo gazed at his boyfriend. “Should we break and come back later? I still wanted to read that book about Ulric and the water seraphim. I’d like to at least learn her name if we can.”

"Yeah, we probably should," Sorey said, albeit grudgingly. He was in a studying mental state, and it was always hard to break out of that. Especially whenever he wanted to find out a solution to something serious, such as this. But Mikleo knew him better than he knew himself. His eyes were indeed straining after being forced to focus on tiny handwritten text for hours and hours.

"It'd be nice to get some food, too," he said, now aware of the fact that he was hungry. Again. "Break time it is!"


	19. Chapter 19: Blinded by Love

** Chapter 19 **

Blinded by Love

The group left the library. Back out in Tolrin, they all decided to try out one of the many nearby restaurants. Sitting down for a nice lunch, they very much enjoyed themselves. Taking their time, they stayed to chat and joke around with one another before even considering going back to the library. But eventually, of course, they had to get back down to their quest. And at the moment, their quest required them to read for long hours in an old historic building.

But of course, this second round of studying proved to last even less than the first. Zaveid and Edna were already tired from the morning's session after all, and so the earth and wind seraph quit after only another hour or so. That left Lailah, Mikleo and Sorey as before. They studied for a little while later until the afternoon started to grow old, and then, even for bookworms they started to tire.

"Maybe just another half hour or so," Mikleo suggested. "We already have a lot of information."

Mikleo thumbed through some of the remaining chapters of his current book. He'd picked it up more for personal reading as it was. Titled, "Shepherd Ulric Heldim" he couldn't have been expected to resist it. And so far, he wasn't disappointed. The book had a lot of details about Ulric's relationship with the water seraphim mentioned during the boat tour, and it was just as Mikleo had been hoping. Ulric's relationship _had_ been a romantic one. And the water seraphim's name had been Nadia.

A part of Mikleo tried to deny how interested he truly was, but really…he couldn't help it. The similarities between the past and the present were striking. And simply knowing that there had been another seraphim that had a relationship with a human, another shepherd no less, made him wonder what had happened to the couple, and in the end…what had happened to Nadia.

He'd been deep in thought about it, and was reading the next portion of his chapter when a harsh, jabbing finger was tapped repeatedly into his shoulder. Instinctively, he swatted the hand away, even before turning around to see who it was. But when he did turn, he found Edna standing behind him, her usual frown on her face.

"Ugh, what is it?" Mikleo complained.

"We need to talk."

"Huh?" Mikleo blinked at her, confused by her sudden and abrupt statement. "Right now? We're studying."

"You've been studying all day. And you're about to quit anyway, right? So yeah, right now."

Mikleo blinked at her again, a little jarred by her request, but slowly he nodded.

"Ok." Turning he looked to Lailah and Sorey. Lailah smiled and waved him off, and Sorey, although looking a little thrown off in the same manner Mikleo was, smiled kindly too.

"We can finish up here without you," he said. "Meet us back at The Water Crest Inn when you're done."

Mikleo nodded. Then he closed his book and handed it out to Sorey.

"Check this out of the library for me?" he asked. "I want to keep reading it this evening."

"Sure thing."

After handing Sorey his book, Mikleo rose from his seat. After pushing his chair back in, he turned to Edna.

"Ok, let's go."

Edna led the way outside. Then, once out in the light of the late afternoon, she turned and continued to walk down one of the cobblestone streets.

"This way," she said. Only feeling more puzzled, Mikleo started to follow.

"Oh ok," he hesitated. "But, where are we going? Didn't you have something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah, I do," she said without slowing her stride or bothering to look at him. "We should get away from all these humans though. I mean, I know they can't see or hear us, but it's annoying to have them all around."

Mikleo frowned. There had been a few times during their journey when Edna said such things about humans. And for the most part he and Sorey had learned to ignore it. But that didn't mean he had to like it. And especially now, after he and Sorey had officially gotten together…he liked it less and less.

"You know Edna, would it kill you to be a little more respectful from time to time?"

"Yeah," she responded immediately. "Yeah, I think it might."

Mikleo scoffed and rolled his eyes, mumbling an 'oh my God' under his breath. Edna didn't respond and instead kept walking hurriedly through the crowded streets. She kept going and Mikleo had to almost jog to keep up with her. They moved further and further back until they got to the back wall of Tolrin, the same place Sorey and Mikleo had gone the other day in order to leave the city and head out to the boat tours.

"How far are we going?"

"Not much farther," Edna responded. She led him out and through the gates. Out on the other side, Mikleo found the crowds far more sparse than the day before. He supposed it was because the sun was starting to set, which meant a lot of the lake and waterfall activities were closing for the day. With the beaches, hot springs and boat tours ending, there was no point for people to come out this far.

Edna walked just near the edge of the lake to a place where no one was around except for the occasional passerby, then finally stopped, turning to face him. Mikleo stopped too, and for an awkward second nothing was said.

"Soo…you had something to say?" he prompted.

"Yes," Edna said, her expression as sour looking as always, "I wanted to know why you're so stupid."

Mikleo stiffened. And as soon as Edna said such a thing, a quick snarl came to his face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "Don't tell me you dragged me away from my studies and made me come all the way out here just so you could insult me!"

"No, not just so I could insult you. I honestly want to know how you could possibly be so dumb."

"Edna!" His cheeks were starting to get red with anger, but before he could start hollering indignantly at his traveling companion, Edna continued with an explanation,

"I know you're attracted to Sorey and everything, but how stupid do you have to be to actually fall in love with a human, to _give_ yourself to one? You've got to be a Class A nimrod for _that_ to happen."

Mikleo's heart started to pound in his chest. His lilac eyes flashed as his anger quickly started to turn to rage. It coursed through him so quickly that he found his fists starting to tremble.

"Think about what you're saying to me Edna. Think very _carefully_ before you proceed!"

"I am thinking carefully. It's _you_ who's not thinking. You're so totally blinded by your love for him that you have no idea what you've locked yourself into. You're so young and caught up in the moment, in this one fleeting, perishable moment that you've ignored the millions of moment that lay ahead of you.

Do you even realize he's a human? Don't you even know what that means? He's a mortal. You're not. He'll age and grow old. You on the other hand will stay exactly as you are, young and beautiful and perfect, for all eternity. Sorey on the other hand will grow older and more feeble. He'll deteriorate right before your eyes. He'll shrivel up and you'll watch as his mortal clock ticks his time away. His youth and beauty will vanish, and so will his mind. Humans forget things when they get old. Hell, he might not even recognize you in his dying days. And after it's all said and done with, after you watch him die, you'll be all alone, forever. Is that really what you want? To be chained to a decaying old man as you watch each second take him farther away from you?"

SLAP!

The strike had come from nowhere. Mikleo himself hadn't even known he was about to hit her. But he had. And Edna's head snapped to the side as a fierce, red, handprint started to form on her cheek.

He was trembling wildly by that point from both the unbelievable rage he felt and also the unbelievable fear that he had always carried with him, but now had been drudged up to the surface thanks to Edna. His amethyst eyes were huge and wild and also glimmering with unspilt tears. His hand still in the air from his strike, he opened his mouth to speak through a tightened throat,

"How dare you!?" He seethed, his own voice sounding foreign to him. "How _dare_ you say such things to me!? Do you really think I don't know? You think that I haven't considered Sorey's mortality? You think it hasn't been something that I've been aware of for as long as I can even remember? You think that even as a child I didn't have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that grew each night when we went to bed? You think it hasn't hovered over me, like a ghost, haunting my every move?"

He gasped in a breath of air. The tears that trembled on the edge of his lashes threatened to fall.

"What kind of fool do you take me for? And how can you be so blind as to not have seen how dreadfully, painstakingly, carefully both Sorey and myself are to _never_ mention this subject? If we didn't know about it, if we were really that naïve, don't you think it would have come up in normal conversation from time to time?" He took in another ragged breath of air. "We don't talk about it because there's nothing we can do, and because this subject is _torture!"_

Still seething, his heart now beating painfully from within his chest, he finally lowered his hand. His teeth clamped together, he found he could barely look at Edna.

"We know what we've done. And as for me, personally, I know what path I have to take. I had no choice but to love Sorey. I've loved him since before I can remember. And so…all I can do now is throw all I am into this while we have it. I will cherish every second he can give me: every smile, every breath! And when he starts to slip away…I'll be there beside him. I'll be there when he's old. And I'll cherish those times too. I'll take care of him. He can lean on me if he gets feeble. And if his memories start to fail him, I will remind him of what we have. I'm prepared to do whatever I have to in order to see this through! And in the end, I'll lay down beside him. I'll be with him until that very last breath! And if my punishment for loving a human is to die of heartache, then…so be it!"

Edna stood perfectly still as Mikleo spoke. And after he fell silent, there was a second when only the sound of the waterfall behind them was heard. But then, Mikleo watched in utter shock as a creeping, twisted grin started to spread up and over Edna's cheeks. And as it grew, a cruel, merciless, gleeful type of giggle rose up and out of her. The giggle rose in strength until it became an outright laugh. Throwing her head back, Edna clutched at her stomach as if everything Mikleo had just said was simply hilarious.

"What…?" Mikleo gaped.

"Oh my God!" Edna cried with delight. "And here I thought I could just explain the reality of things to you and get you to leave the shepherd's side. But that's obviously not the case! You're _completely_ delusional!"

And it was only in that moment, that Mikleo started to realize that something was terribly, horribly wrong. With Edna's face so twisted and with her saying such things in a voice that didn't sound like hers, he finally started to understand.

"You…you're not Edna."

"Bingo! That's correct, I'm not. But I picked a good person to imitate right? I mean, she's similar to me in so many ways. We both hate humans. We both think you're an idiot. And if she wore darker colored clothes, we could even share a sense of style! If I could only get her to join our side, we could be best friends!"

Mikleo's expression quickly darkened as he stiffened in place.

"Symonne."

"Ding ding ding! Correct again! But at this point there's no reason to keep up the charade. With you being completely and totally insane, than we're just going to have to do things the old fashioned way."

Lifting a hand, she flicked her wrist and snapped her fingers. With a poof of magic, her disguise was extinguished. Then she stood before Mikleo as she truly was: a skinny, pale, short, young girl with smooth skin, black hair and a purple cloth that could barely be called an outfit. Her red eyes landed on the water seraph before her, and her dark lipsticked mouth twisted up into another grin.

"That's better."

"What're you doing here Symonne?" Mikleo demanded.

"What do you think? I'm _trying_ to turn your precious shepherd into a hellion. But you keep messing things up for me! First you wouldn't take my subliminal messages in your nightmares and turn into a hellion yourself. _Then_ you went and overcame your fears during your battle with the snake lady in the desert! And _now_ you won't leave the shepherd and break his heart! Honestly, you've left me no choice but to do things the hard way." She let off a giggle. "Although to be honest, the hard way is my _favorite_ way."

Mikleo immediately took up an offensive stance. Calling up his power he summoned his staff. Striking quite an intimidating pose in front of his enemy, he glared at her, his tears having already dried.

"You want to kill me to make Sorey turn into a hellion, thus dooming the world."

Symonne rolled her head over her shoulder's as she shrugged.

"Mostly correct. Only we don't want to kill you. Instead, Heldalf gave us orders to make you suffer. A lover in agonizing pain is far worse to endure than a dead lover, don't you think? And if Sorey loves you in the same _idiotic_ way you just told me you love him, then he'll become a hellion the moment we present your tattered, shredded body to him."

Mikleo snarled, his white teeth flashing.

"If you think Sorey would turn into a hellion just because of that, then you're the naïve one! He'll be sad to be sure, but he wouldn't let hatred into his heart. He's stronger and better than that! But either way…I'll never let you use me to hurt him!"

Already fueled by his righteous anger from the things Symonne had said to him, and his heart already filling with the courage he would need to protect Sorey, Mikleo charged forward. Striking out with a physical blow first, he hoped to catch his enemy by surprise. After all, their parties had fought each other before, and Symonne already knew he was an artes user.

His plan worked somewhat. Striking first and physically did catch Symonne by surprise. But she was fast and nimble on her feet in the same way Mikleo was. She leapt off and to the side just in the nick of time, Mikleo's staff rushing by her ear and breezing through one of her black pigtails.

"Lunarre! Now would be a good time to make your entrance!" She called out. And as soon as she did, a shadow seemed to appear from above Mikleo. His head snapping upward, Mikleo's lilac eyes widened when he saw Lunarre scurrying his way down Tolrin's huge outer wall like some sort of cockroach.

"Oh? Is it finally time to play?"

Leaping down the rest of the way, the fox-man landed on his feet just in front of Mikleo. Wasting no time what-so-ever, he lashed out. Mikleo barely had time to dodge to the side, Lunarre's razor sharp claws whisking by his neck.

"Oh, don't dodge!" he called. "I've been wanting to snack on you ever since we met in Elysia!" And then, vulgarly, Lunarre licked his lips as if imagining what it was Mikleo must have tasted like.

Mikleo's skin crawled. He _hated_ Lunarre. And he never could forget the way he _ate_ Mason back in Elysia. It was a horror he knew he'd carry with him for a very long time.

Outnumbered, and finding himself face to face with not one, but two powerful enemies, Mikleo knew his chances of coming out of this battle unharmed were slim. Even so, he knew running away wasn't an option. Crossing the distance between his current location and the Tolrin doors behind him was too great. He'd be shot down with an arte for certain. He had no choice but to stand and fight.

 _I'm much more powerful than last we met,_ he reminded himself. _Ten times so. And this isn't just to defend myself…I have to protect Sorey too. These villains are aiming at his heart._ Determination and resolve started to fill him. _I can't let them do that!_

His face tightening and his body tensing, he gripped his staff in his hands.

_I may not be a physical fighter, but my artes are matched by no other. I'll bury them in water!_

Mikleo felt it flow within him. And as he let his thoughts of Sorey flood him, he felt the same swell of power he'd felt before when he discovered Electric Whirlpool back in the underground ruins. And in only an instant, he felt like he could do anything.

"You won't hurt him!" Throwing his staff out before him, his power swirled to life. His white and blue locks of hair lifted up as the two tendrils of his cloak billowed. A surge of energy whirled around him as he started to glow. Lunarre and Symonne, seeing he was building up to a rather powerful spell, quickly attacked to try and break through his concentration before he could finish. But Mikleo had long ago learned to cast a protective barrier around himself as he cast, and so the two found themselves repelled, at least temporarily. His protective barrier wasn't all that strong since most of his magic went into the artes he was casting, but it usually lasted long enough to deflect a few blows before it broke. Usually, he had Sorey to protect him as he cast, but this time he knew he'd have to do it alone.

He didn't have enough time for one of his more powerful spells before the barrier broke, but he still had enough time to make it count. And as he opened his eyes, and focused on his enemies before him, he cried out,

"Frigid Sever!"

Ice shards as sharp as needles and as large as tree branches shot out from him at a frightening speed, and it took both Lunarre and Symonne by surprise. Lunarre ducked and rolled, one of the ice shards skimming his back and cutting him just down his spine. Symonne put up a dark force field which deflected most of the ice, but as the second, then third one hit her, it broke clear through.

"Ugh!" Cutting her upper arm, she clutched at it as a look of fury over came her face. "You little bitch!"

But Mikleo was already casting another spell, knowing that his only chance was to buy himself enough time to cast one of his more powerful ones. And the only way to do that was to keep his enemies busy.

Symonne snarled.

"I'll make you pay!" Looking to Lunarre, she shouted at him. "Lunarre! You attack physically and try to break through his barrier! I'll spend the time to cast some shadow artes! He can't take us both on at once!"

"You got it! Anything to get to the center of my tasty treat!"

Getting back up, Lunarre lunged. He threw himself at Mikleo's barrier, but the water seraph was unfazed. Keeping his eyes closed, he concentrated on casting his next spell. But as he did so, a black hole of despair surrounded Symonne as she started to cast her own.

Lunarre scraped and tore at Mikleo's magical barrier, dragging his claws down against it. And as he did, he eyed his prize within with a lurid expression indeed.

"Come on out little snack. Or let me in! Don't make me break through your shell first!"

Finishing his cast, Mikleo cried out, "Rising Geyser!"

Water sprang up out of the ground, surrounding Lunarre and shooting upward like a pillar of crystal. It shot him several feet up and into the air. Twisting himself around, he had to figure out how to land, but Mikleo was already prepared,

"Freeze Lancer!" Ice met his enemy when he landed, and Lunarre screamed out in agony as he landed on a bed of spikes. It was a good hit, a direct hit, and Mikleo managed to damage the fox-man fairly well. But it was also at this time that Symonne finished casting a spell of her own.

"Hell Gate." The ground beneath Mikleo split open in the shape of an X, and immediately gushing up and out of it was a combination of fire and wind. Mikleo didn't have time to get out of the way, and was caught up in it.

"Ugh!" he cried out as he felt his smooth, cool skin burn, and he was blown backward where he was barely able to slide himself into a decent landing. Luckily he hadn't fallen, for Lunarre was already rushing toward him once more. Lifting his staff, he blocked his onset of flurried claw attacks within a fraction of a second.

"Stop resisting me!" Lunarre snarled. "If you just let it happen it'll be over quickly!"

"Not on your life."

Still keeping his head together, and still remaining cool and collected, Mikleo recalled all of the training and sparring he had with Sorey. He might not have been the best at physical attacks, but he could hold his own. And when Lunarre ran at him again, he was ready. Parrying to the side, he whirled around, cracking his staff down on top of the fox-man's head as he rushed by him.

"YOUCH!" Lunarre cried as the lights flickered in front of his eyes. He stumbled a few feet, nearly passing out from the blow, but somehow, he managed to keep himself together. Righting himself, he lifted both hands to the back of his skull where he started to rub the pain away.

"This little rabbit bites back!" He seethed, the same anger that had taken over Symonne after she'd been hit now taking over him. "But we'll see how much bite you have left after I skin you!"

Symonne was casting again, and Mikleo stood still and at the ready as Lunarre mindlessly lunged at him once more. As he neared, Mikleo gave a flick of the wrist.

"Bubble Blast!" It was the first time he used his childhood spell for anything other than play with Sorey, but it still worked like a charm. Lunarre ran headfirst into a curtain of harmless bubbles. But it obstructed his vision and confused him long enough to stop him in his tracks.

"What-?!"

With Lunarre distracted and Symonne still casting, Mikleo finally found the time he needed to call up the powers within him for a more devastating attack.

"I'm not a rabbit," he said as he let his power fill him to the brim. "I'm a seraphim!"

He waited until his power pressed out against all of him, and then, he simply released it all with a cry,

"Roaring Surge!"

The lake beside them seemed to suddenly swell as Mikleo raised his hands. And both Lunarre and Symonne looked over in fear, their eyes wide and white as a literal wall of water rose up beside them. It grew, taller and taller, and it was as thick as a house. It rose up even taller still, until the shadowy duo could see the setting sun through a watery, clear, mass. A blue glow with ripples inside of it was cast over the entire field they stood in, and within only seconds, it appeared as a tidal wave.

Mikleo held his hands up, keeping the water bound for only a second as he let off a brief tremor with the effort it took him.

Symonne took in a single breath of air, and then, he quickly threw both of his hands downward toward the ground. The water was released, and with an incredible roar, it washed over the entire land area where he was standing with Lunarre and Symonne. He heard their shrieks, even over the rage of the water, but Mikleo was already prepared with another barrier.

He stood perfectly still as the lake itself rushed all around him, but not a single droplet touched him. His feet remained on solid ground. Foam, white as snow, blew by like an avalanche, and glitter from the spray shimmered as it flew like sparks around him catching the light of the setting sun. It was as beautiful and as deadly as any natural disaster caused by nature itself.

Mikleo inhaled the scent of water, letting it fill his lungs. Even in the midst of battle he never felt quite as at home as he did around his element.

It took several long seconds to end. But finally, the last of the water rushed by, and its levels lowered from his head down to his feet. Then eventually it all rolled away into the lowest areas of the land around them, or started to get soaked up into the earth. Turning around to search for his enemies, Mikleo found them sprawled out on the soggy ground several yards away. They were both soaking wet and gasping for air. Having nearly drowned, their strength seemed to be sapped from them. Lunarre was on his back, his chest heaving up and down and Symonne was laid flat out on her stomach. Both of them had their limbs flung haphazardly around themselves.

"If you call surrender now, I'll stop. If not, I'm afraid I have an even more powerful spell up my sleeve." And the great thing about it was that Mikleo wasn't bluffing. Seeing both of them down and out, he knew he'd have more than enough time to cast Electric Whirlpool if need be. And if he cast that spell, there was a definite possibility that he may kill them. But of course if his life was in danger, and if Sorey's was as well, he wouldn't hesitate.

A decent distance away from Mikleo, Lunarre turned to Symonne, disbelief in his voice and in his eyes.

"When did he become so powerful?" he asked, baffled. "He was nothing but a weakling last time we fought him! Now he's a full blown mage!"

Symonne's face was dark with hatred and shadows, and as Lunarre asked his question, it only became darker still.

"He thinks he's grown more powerful because of his disgusting love for that human." She spit. "It's so repulsive I almost can't even stand to think of it. But make no mistake, that's the source of his new artes."

"Then how can we defeat him? He called up the entire lake onto us!"

Symonne was silent for just a moment. But as she thought about what they could do, Mikleo wasn't willing to wait.

"This is your last chance! Surrender now!"

In watching Mikleo, and seeing how tall and true he stood with the sun at his back, and knowing where he was getting his confidence from: that was when Symonne got an idea. And slowly, a cruel, twisted grin started to spread over her pale cheeks. Her blood red eyes smiled, and a vicious glint entered her irises.

"What? What is it?" Lunarre asked.

"I have an idea," she hummed. "Watch closely Lunarre. And take note of how to bring down a water seraph."

Both Symonne and Lunarre started to push themselves back up. And seeing that they were getting ready to fight again and wouldn't be surrendering, Mikleo knew he had no choice but to cast his most powerful spell. If he didn't and if he gave them any leeway, he knew they would kill him. And so, quickly, he took up an offensive stance. Splaying his staff out before him, he called up the memories of Sorey that filled him with the feeling he needed in order to site his newest arte. And pulling up romantic memories of Sorey was not difficult at all, especially after the night they had just shared together.

Mikleo called up the way he looked when he smiled, and the way his green eyes crinkled shut with delight when he laughed. He brought up the memory of how he called for him with his true name in the desert. And of course how good he really felt to be in his arms. He thought about their date just yesterday, and how great it had been when Sorey teased him about there being ghosts in the caves. Mikleo loved playing with him nearly as much as anything else they did together.

Lastly, he thought of how they'd connected only the night before. It hadn't even been twenty four hours yet, and so the memories were fresh. Sorey had clutched him so close to his chest, so that Mikleo could still recall how powerfully his heart had pounded. And he'd been so loving and tender, treating him like he was a precious treasure. He could still catch his scent in his nose, and he could still hear his voice as he told him he loved him. And lastly, Mikleo absorbed himself in the memory of what it was like to melt into him, to truly be as one.

 _Forever,_ a voice echoed within him. _All of Symonne's earlier words mean nothing. For this is what forever means._

He felt his spirit soar. And as it did, he closed his eyes and started to recite the words he'd written himself back when he was still discovering all of what his feelings for Sorey meant.

"Oh water that runs deep as an abyss,"

The same circle as before appeared beneath his feet.

"On the surface calm and clear as glass,"

It started to glow.

"Let thy true depths be known."

His power rising up, it began to swirl around his form.

"Open up to the skies above,

And beget lightning to strike thee,"

Anyone who might have been watching nearby would have felt the air crackle with the power he was gathering. It felt very similar to how the atmosphere was charged right before a thunderstorm. And in seeing how absorbed and concentrated Mikleo truly was, one would wonder if anything at all could break through his focus. But that was precisely when the one and only thing that could, did.

"Mikleo," came a voice that sang to his very soul. And in hearing Sorey call his name, Mikleo of course opened his eyes. When he did, he saw him standing just in front of him, his usual silly grin on his sweet face.

"Sorey." And of course, the one word interrupted his spell, and his casting time was broken. Even so, Mikleo knew he had to stop his arte before it was cast. With Sorey right in front of him, there was no longer a need to do something so drastic. With Sorey here by his side, they could simply armatize, or just fight together as they normally did in order to defeat their enemies. Mikleo wouldn't have to kill anyone, and that was a huge burden off of his shoulders.

Withdrawing his magic, the ground going dark around him, Mikleo breathed a sigh of relief as a small smile started to spread over his face at the simple sight of the person he loved.

"Thank God you're here. Symonne and Lunarre attacked me. But together we can defeat them." His soft smile grew as he kept his sights on Sorey. "Armatize with me?"

Sorey smiled. Then, lifting his arms up, he beckoned Mikleo to come into them.

"Of course," he said. "We can do anything, so long as we're together."

It was instinct to move forward when Sorey held his arms out to him. And so of course, Mikleo did, as he'd done thousands of times before. And he thought nothing of it as Sorey closed his arms around him, wrapping him up tight. Squeezing him to himself perhaps a bit _too_ forcefully, Mikleo didn't know that anything was wrong until a twisted grin crept up Sorey's lips and he whispered into his ear,

"I told you, you're blinded by love."

There was only a second in which a heart could beat. And then, even as the mistake he'd just made started to dawn on him, fear filling him, Symonne cast her spell,

"Enslaving Shadow."

A burst of dark energy exploded out of Symonne, and as she held him captive, she forced it into her victim. Mikleo felt it enter him and pain of the likes he'd experienced only once before filled him. He gasped in a breath of air, and then Mikleo couldn't help himself as he threw back his head and screamed. Symonne forced her malevolence into him, not unlike the way Heldalf's dark wave had once washed over the group back in Glaivend Basin. And even as the agonizing attack was ending, Mikleo knew perfectly well what she had just done to him. He felt his holy power become trapped within him. And just like back in the basin, it felt as if there was a sudden wall around him, sealing him in.

"Ah-hahaha!" Symonne laughed viciously with Sorey's voice and still from within Sorey's body. "Let's see what a mage can do without any artes! I'm betting without your holy magic, you're completely helpless!"

With the attack over, and his body still throbbing, Mikleo found himself still in his enemy's arms. And seeing Symonne still taking on the guise of Sorey, filled him with a revulsion and an anger he couldn't have been prepared for.

"Let go of me!" he demanded. Then, knowing he had to resort to physical means, he quickly started to struggle from within her grasp. But very quickly, Lunarre was at their side. Reaching out, he grabbed at Mikleo's staff and very easily was able to rip it from his hands.

"Whoops! Did you lose this?" With a heavy heave, he threw his staff over their heads where it landed several yards away and came to rest on the soggy grass. "Uh-oh! Now what will you do, little rabbit?"

Symonne, seeing the hunger and eagerness in Lunarre's eyes, quickly shoved Mikleo away from herself and roughly into Lunarre's arms instead.

"Here's your treat," she said, her voice still eerily like Sorey's. "Do whatever you'd like to him. Just remember, we can't kill him. We need to make him presentable for the shepherd."

"Yes, yes! Presentable for the shepherd!" Lunarre repeated. Finally having his prize in his arms, Lunarre closed his hands around Mikleo tightly, making certain he couldn't get loose, no matter how he struggled. "Let's tear him up! I want to see if the shepherd still wants him if his pretty face is shredded!" He chuckled eagerly, not all that unlike a hyena. And as he laughed and as he watched his captive squirm from within his arms, his breathing started to become heavier and more labored.

"Let's mess up his pretty hair too! And maybe rip through his perfect skin! We'll see if the shepherd wants an ugly, deformed seraphim."

Mikleo's heart was pounding from within his chest. He wasn't sure if there'd ever been a time when he was so afraid. And with all of his power and all of his artes sealed away, he'd never been more aware of his size.

He was a small. Petite even. And although his height and slight stature had always been a sore spot for him growing up before, it had solely been about his looks. But now, suddenly, he was very aware of how weak he was in comparison to his captors. It had never truly mattered before, since he was so powerful in magic. But with that power taken from him…

"Such a pretty little seraph," Lunarre hummed. "I see exactly why the shepherd wanted you. You're even prettier than most girls."

Mikleo's face flushed. And still never giving up, he twisted himself from within Lunarre's grasp.

"Shut up you freak!" he cried. "At least I don't look like a dog!"

Lifting a foot, Mikleo quickly brought down his heel onto Lunarre's toe, crushing it to the best of his ability. Lunarre yelped in pain, and for just a second, his grip on Mikleo lessened. Mikleo immediately went to tear himself free, but of course, he had a second enemy waiting for him right there. And as soon as he was out of Lunarre's grasp, Symonne was waiting.

"Despairing Flames." She cast a quick spell and fire seemed to come up and out of the earth at Mikleo's feet. The red and orange flames wrapped themselves around him, and Mikleo let out another scream as he felt the heat wash over him. His snow white skin burned just as easily as tissue paper. And this time he had no way of defending himself. His scream dragged onward, until finally the flames dissipated.

His cloak singed and patches of his shimmering skin now black and red, he staggered, and then went to fall. But before he hit the ground, Lunarre reached out his hands, catching him. Grabbing him, he brought him back up and against his chest once more.

"Oh no no, you're my treat. And I think it's time you paid for humiliating me!"

His enemies no longer seemed willing to wait. And very much wanting to hurt him, Lunarre reached out grabbing at the fragile cloth near his shoulder. Using his wicked nails, he tore through it easily, revealing the pale shoulder beneath.

"Let's rip up his cloak too!"

And after getting such an idea, Lunarre seemed eager to get to work. Still holding onto Mikleo firmly, he used his other hand to start ripping off the two blue tails from his back. And although this didn't hurt Mikleo physically at all, he seemed to grow suddenly, and horrifically distressed.

"No!" he cried. "Stop it!"

His enemies couldn't have known it, but his cloak was special to him because Gramp's had made it for him when he had become of age. And the two tails that sprang from his shoulders were supposed to represent an angel's wings.

Lunarre, seeing how upset it was making his target, grinned wickedly.

"What? You don't like it? Then perhaps if we tear it up a little more?" Overly excited now that he knew it was upsetting to his victim, Lunarre went to town. Using his damaging claws, he started to tear and rip at the fabric, making holes in it, long tears, and in some places, his razor talons ripped all the way down to Mikleo's skin.

Mikleo hissed in pain as he felt the sting and bite of the claws. But even with his blood being drawn, he still seemed more upset about the fact that his cloak was being destroyed. Even so, he didn't say anything more or object again. He didn't want to give Lunarre the satisfaction. But this of course, upset Lunarre.

"What? You're not going to beg anymore?" he set his yellow eyes on his victim. "Then I suppose we'll have to up the ante. Let's start in on breaking you instead, hmm?"

Quickly and roughly, with no warning what so ever, Lunarre shoved Mikleo to the soggy ground. It was a bad fall, and Mikleo hit his knee on the way down before landing in the mud. His pristine clothes were immediately stained, and already injured from being burned and torn, he almost didn't have the strength to get up. But even if he had, Lunarre wasn't about to let him. He came in fast. And with no mercy at all, he began to kick him.

((Yes, this is a cliff hanger. So sorry guys! But don't worry, we're working hard on the next chapter! I hope to have it up by either Thursday (my day off) or next weekend. Until then, hold on!))


	20. Chapter 20: Seraphim of Ancient Water

** Chapter 20 **

Seraphim of Ancient Water

Sorey was back at The Water Crest Inn, waiting in his bedroom. He hadn't stayed at the library for very long after Mikleo and Edna had left. After all, they were pretty much finished for the day, and reading without a certain water seraph across the table from him seemed a little lonely. And so, he'd checked out that book Mikleo had asked him to get, and had brought it back to their room. There he sat near the table by the huge window that let him overlook the lake and water fall, settling in with a book of his own. They'd been in a library, there was no way he wasn't going to check out a book for himself too.

It was then that a knock came at their bedroom door.

"Just a minute," Sorey called. Closing his book, he got up and crossed the room. Reaching the door, he opened it up to find Edna standing on the other side. And she was looking very cross. She had her arms folded over her chest and the most sour look Sorey had ever seen on her face.

"There you are," she rumbled. "I'd accuse you of being a jerk, but you're too naïve for that. What happened? You forgot about me or something?"

But of course, this only confused Sorey.

"Huh?" he blinked, cocking his head to the side in the way that usually make Mikleo think he was crazily adorable.

"Don't you 'huh' me!" Edna snipped. "You guys ditched me and Zaveid at the library! When we came back, you were all gone!"

Sorey didn't understand what Edna was talking about. And the expression on his face let the earth seraph know that even before he opened his mouth to speak.

"What are you talking about? You asked Mikleo to come talk to you about something while Lailah and I were still at the table reading our books...remember?" the shepherd asked, his face scrunching up in further confusion. "And I told you guys to just meet us back here once you were finished?"

How could she forget something like that? Well, it had been a long day of studying. Maybe her memory was just muddled after trying to cram so much information into it while they'd been doing their research.

It was Edna's turn to look confused. Her arms still crossed over her chest, she gazed at Sorey analytically.

"Uh, no," she sassed. "That never happened. Where'd you get that piece of fiction?"

Turning away from Sorey, she suddenly shouted down the hallway.

"Zaveid, stop checking out the maid and come over here and back me up!"

Sorey, leaning out in order to poke his head around the doorframe saw that Zaveid had indeed gotten hung up. There was a human maid in a cute little frilly skirt pushing a cart of cleaning supplies up and down the hall. She stopped at one of the rooms in order to unlock it and had been heading inside when Zaveid smoothly, or perhaps not so smoothly, picked up a napkin from off her cart and let it flutter down to the floor. The maid turned to look at it, puzzled. Then she went to bend down to retrieve it and Zaveid had just started to lean over when Sorey called out harshly,

"Zaveid!"

Both Zaveid and the maid snapped back up, eyes wide. The maid looked around herself in confusion, looking for whoever it was the man in the doorway was yelling at, but she saw no one. Sorey, ignoring her for the time being, sent Zaveid a critical glare indeed. And the look was so harsh that even the esteemed wind seraph immediately blushed.

"Sorry your shepherdness! That was a little much, even for me, yeah?"

Sorey crossed his arms over his chest. Quickly, Zaveid jogged down the rest of the hallway in order to come and stand by Edna's side. Edna, completely ignoring the entire thing, waved her hand nonchalantly.

"Zaveid, would you please explain to our confused shepherd here that he _completely_ ditched us?"

Zaveid cleared his throat. Overcoming his embarrassment, he focused on Sorey.

"Yes," he replied a bit more robotically than necessary. "When Edna and I got back to the library, you guys were totally gone. We were definitely, officially, ditched."

"See!" Edna said to Sorey. "Now I don't know where you got this weird idea that I came to talk to Mikleo, but that didn't happen. I have a witness. Zaveid was with me the whole time."

"Yeah," he concurred. "We went down to the cold springs to skip stones. Then we got bored and scared a few people by floating objects around them."

Edna immediately elbowed Zaveid in his ribs as she hissed at him, "I told you not to mention that part!"

"Edna, Zaveid!" Sorey scolded, planting his hands on his hips as he stared down his two party members. "That's not very nice! And more than that, people know we're in the city. If they find out the shepherd and his team are pulling pranks-" but Sorey let himself trail off. That would be a completely divergent train of thought. The important thing to talk about was Mikleo, and their mismatched accounts of what had happened that afternoon.

"Anyway," he continued, his gaze softening. Sorey never stayed mad for long. "I promise you both: I saw Edna come back into the library and poke Mikleo in the shoulder, and you wanted to go talk to him. I would never have left the library without letting you guys know where to find me," he said, his voice genuinely concerned and worried about the two of his friends thinking he'd just run off somewhere all willy-nilly.

Frowning, Sorey put a hand to his chin and tried to think.

"Edna, if that wasn't you...then who was it?"

Edna and Zaveid both blinked at Sorey, appearing just as confused as before. They knew Sorey well by that point, and both of them knew that he wouldn't be making things up or pulling a prank. Judging by the look on his face, he honest to God thought that Edna had come by the library and took Mikleo off somewhere to talk.

"And Mikleo left the library when this happened?" Edna asked. Sorey nodded. And when he did, concern started to creep into their confusion.

"So then…where's Mikky now?" Zaveid asked. And just as he did, a flash of light could be seen from behind Sorey through his glass windows that faced the lake. Edna and Zaveid having seen it, both gaped.

"What was that?"

Pushing past Sorey, they both ran across the room and over to the window. There, they pressed themselves up against it in order to look out. And when they did, they both let out gasps of shock.

"It's Mikky!" Zaveid cried. "And it looks like he's taking on Lunarre and Symonne!"

"What?!" Sorey cried in horror. But at the moment at least, it appeared as if Mikleo was holding his own, and holding it well. And both Edna and Zaveid recognized the start of Mikleo's cast for Electric Whirlpool.

"Ooo-ho-ho! They're about to get it!" Zaveid laughed. "They're both soaking wet too! And so's that whole area! It looks like Mikky turned it into a damned swimming pool!"

"Yeah, but we better get down there and help him anyway." Edna said. "They're both powerful and we'll want to go help him before-!"

But Edna's sentence got cut off abruptly as shock overtook her. And when Zaveid looked back out again, he watched as Symonne transformed into Sorey while Mikleo's eyes were closed in concentration. A snarl over took his face, for of course, he knew with one glance what kind of dirty trick Symonne was about to pull. And also with that one revelation of her shape shifting abilities, everyone understood how Mikleo had been lured out of the library.

"Shit!" he snarled. "That underhanded bitch! Come on! We better hurry!"

Sorey couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't know what Symonne had in store for his love, but just seeing someone else take his form was unnerving enough to make him whirl into action. They had to do something immediately to save Mikleo from whatever unholy plan the dark seraph was putting into motion.

"Right!" Sorey said, thinking quickly. Running out of the hotel and through the streets would take too long. It would be much quicker if they could just -

"The balcony!" Sorey cried, running straight towards it, his seraph companions swiftly moving behind him in their haste.

"Zaveid! We're going to armatize and fly down there! Edna, we'll carry you as we go. We can't afford to waste time running through the hotel and through the city," he explained, knowing that Zaveid at least would be on board.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Zaveid cried. But Edna's eyes grew huge at the suggestion.

"B-but, wait-!"

But before Edna could possibly protest further or throw out any insults, Sorey flew into action - quite literally.

"Filk Zadeya!" Sorey cried, quickly armatizing with Zaveid. And in a flash, they scooped up Edna safely in their arms and leapt off of the balcony.

Edna _screamed_ bloody murder as they went soaring straight down the wall, heading as quickly as they could towards Mikleo. And as they plummeted toward the ground, Edna dug her nails into Sorey and Zaveid's arms as she clung to them like a leech.

 _Please,_ Sorey thought silently. _Please let us get there before..._ He didn't need to finish his thought, though. Zaveid was quick to pick up on his emotions, and sent a wave of strong, positive thoughts at Sorey.

 _Hey! Mikky-boy will be just fine. You know how tough he is! And we're literally swooping in to save the day! He's gonna love that,_ he said encouragingly, doing his best to cheer up his human friend.

 _Thanks Zaveid,_ he thought, even as they made a beeline directly towards the now-downed Mikleo. His eyes narrowed as he saw Lunarre start to shred at his clothes, then to his utter horror, literally started kicking him while he was down...

Both Zaveid and Sorey willed the winds to go even faster, and within seconds, the small team had swooped in, kicking Lunarre away from his love with great force before they landed. The instant their feet touched down, they released Edna, who fell down on hands and knees to literally hug the earth. Safely back with her own element, she trembled and shook from her terrifying scare as she mumbled something about 'crazy shepherd' and 'fucking wind seraph.'

But Sorey paid her no mind. There was no time. Instead, he turned toward his enemies and got ready to kick some serious butt.

"Mikleo!" he shouted. Dearmatizing with Zaveid he wasted no time as he ran straight towards his bloodied, torn- up love, his green eyes wide with fear. "Mikleo!"

But Lunarre and Symonne were still right at Mikleo's side, even after Lunarre had been kicked squarely in his jaw, a serious bruise forming on his face. And now, he seemed furiously angry. Seeing Sorey running toward the fallen seraph, Lunarre lunged forward first, grabbing a hold of Mikleo and roughly hoisting him back up and to his feet where he clutched him as a hostage against his chest.

Mikleo, clearly seriously injured by that point, cried out in both protest and pain as he was handled so cruelly. And now that he was upright, and forced to face his friends, the others could easily see the horrible things that'd been done to him.

His clothes had been ripped and torn, some of the holes revealing the bloody gashes he'd been given beneath. And whatever hadn't been shredded was stained brown from the muddy ground.

Mikleo's once beautiful skin was now littered with dark ugly patches. And what wasn't bruised looked like it was burned. And both of these dark colors seemed even uglier still against his usual, natural, white coloring.

His cloak hung in tatters around his shoulders, both of his wings nearly gone. His silvery hair had a streak of red in it that no one could see the source of, and a part of his lower lip was swelling. It was just awful, and Sorey, Edna and Zaveid all tensed at the sight of their abused friend.

Lunarre faced them down, a vicious snarl overcoming his foaming lips.

"You stay where you are! If you come a step closer, I'll snap his tender little neck!"

Keeping Mikleo up against him with one arm, he took the other and grabbed onto a fist full of his silver-blue hair. Viciously, he jerked his head back to show he was serious, causing Mikleo to cry out a second time.

Barely able to stand on his own feet, his body trembling from the abuse, and his face tense with the pain he was so clearly in, he gazed out at his friends. But of course, his sight eventually came to rest on Sorey. And when it did, his face twisted into a terrible grimace. He saw that look on his beloved's face, and he saw the worry, the fear, and the guilt that rested there. And out of everything Mikleo had suffered thus far, this was by far the worst, and that expression on Sorey's face was the very thing he'd been fearing this entire time, ever since he'd been attacked. No…even before that. This expression on Sorey's face was the very thing he'd feared ever since they'd started their journey together, and ever since they'd had that terrible fight in Lady Lake.

Back then, Sorey hadn't wanted to let him remain in the party. When things started to get serious, when they started facing hellions, Sorey had wanted to send him home. He hadn't wanted him to get hurt. Mikleo remembered how viciously he'd fought to prove himself, to show Sorey that he could fight too, that he could hold his own. And he remembered how he had snarled out the phrase, "I didn't come all this way just to be a liability!"

 _I can do it,_ he'd thought. _If I can't at least be strong enough to help Sorey, if I can't be strong enough to stay at his side and be of some assistance to him…then…what good am I?_

He'd proven himself well back then. And he knew he'd been a tremendous help ever since. But now…he suddenly found himself in the very situation that both himself and Sorey had feared. Being held hostage, and being used as a tool to hurt the Sorey, was nearly the very definition of a liability. And that all on its own, made his heart twist from within his chest.

"I'm sorry Sorey," he cried, his voice tight and his tones wavering. "I'm sorry!"

Mikleo's apology threatened to break Sorey's heart into a hundred different pieces. He kept his intense gaze straight on Mikleo, pain hidden in their depths from what had happened to his love.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about!" Sorey shouted in reassurance. "They, however, do!" And he took an offensive stance.

Mikleo was hurt, and badly at that...but all he had to was armatize with his love, and they would be fine. He could heal while within Sorey, and that would get him out of that bastard Lunarre's grasp too. And so, not knowing what Symonne had done to Mikleo, or that his seraphic energy was blocked, Sorey called out Mikleo's true name, thinking that would solve all of their problems.

"Luzrov Rulay!" he shouted confidently, a look of triumph written on his face. But nothing happened. Fear seeped in. What had just happened? Why hadn't that worked? He tried again,

"Luzrov Rulay!" shouting out Mikleo's true name again, and then quickly a third time,

"Luzrov Rulay!" Panic starting to sink in.

What was going on? Why didn't that work!? He had never failed to armatize with Mikleo before!

Mikleo heard Sorey call his true name. He heard him call it in his heart. And as always, that something within him lurched forward, wanting to go to the source of the call. But he couldn't. The curse Symonne had put on him was blocking all of his artes, and that meant he was trapped within himself, unable to respond to Sorey's call for him. And seeing Sorey lift his hand, reaching for him, as he called for him so desperately, was almost maddening. Mikleo groaned from within Lunarre's grasp. Seeing Sorey's desperate, fearful expression, and being kept apart from him when they should have been together, was like torture.

Symonne burst out laughing from the side lines. Her wicked little voice rang out over the wet field, shrill and sharp. Her red eyes lit up with the delight she was so clearly taking in the shepherd's ordeal.

"I'm sorry, sir shepherd, but he can't come to you. Not this time. For I've place a lovely little curse on him that blocks all of his seraphic artes."

"You little bitch!" Zaveid suddenly snarled, his orange eyes flashing. "That's how he lost so quickly! Edna and I saw him kicking your asses from the balcony only a minute ago!"

Symonne sighed.

"Yes…I'll admit he was doing quite well, impressive even. But why wouldn't I use everything in my repertoire in order to win?"

Zaveid growled, and Edna, although silent thus far, was looking just as angry and worried as Zaveid and Sorey.

"You-" and Sorey was so mad he couldn't speak for a second, and clenched his jaw shut and scrunched his eyes closed in an effort to not explode. Then, he turned to glare at Lunarre and Symonne, his green eyes dangerous and determined.

"You let him go," he said steadily. "Let him go," he repeated, gripping his sword tightly in his right hand. "The faster you let him go, the less damage you'll take. Because there's no way I'm letting you get away with this!" And that last sentence was loud and full of anger, and also of promise. Because Sorey meant every word of what he said.

And of course, Sorey's rage was just what the two dark beings before him wanted. And Mikleo already knew their true goal: to turn Sorey's hurt and anger into hatred, and then to turn that hatred into malevolence.

"Sorey, don't!" Mikleo cried, fear creeping into his pained face as he saw the fury overtaking his love. "They're using me to get to you! They're trying to corrupt you! Whatever you do, you can't-!"

But that was precisely when Lunarre sunk his wicked claws deep into the skin at Mikleo's waist where he was holding him, causing Mikleo to cry out, his face contorting.

"Shut _up_ little rabbit!" Lunarre hissed into his ear. "You're only here to be bait!" But Symonne wasn't looking nearly as upset about their plot being told to their enemy.

"Calm down Lunarre," she said coolly. "It doesn't matter if the shepherd knows our goal or not. We still have his boyfriend hostage. And fight it as he might, he _will_ become _filled_ with hatred as he watches us torture him." A cruel, wicked, gleeful, grin, spread over the young girl's face as she laid her eyes on Sorey. And the others in the party stiffened with rage of their own.

"You mean to tell me you're not planning on letting him go at all?!" Zaveid cried.

"You can't do that!" Edna suddenly screamed, true upset of the likes no one had seen on her face until now, overcoming her. "If you're goal is just to hurt him and never release him to us, than there's nothing to stop us from smashing you into paste right now!"

"Oh but there is!" Symonne sung merrily. "We still have your little water angel captive! If you attack us, Lunarre will simply snap his neck. You can't rescue him if he's dead. But if he's still alive, there's a chance we'll let him go! Actually shepherd, if you want him freed quickly, all you have to do is turn into a hellion. Just stop fighting it and let your hatred and despair fill you. It's easy. And if you do that, I promise we'll release him to you."

"Sorey no!" Mikleo cried. "If you turn, I'll turn too! We'll all turn! You wouldn't save me if you allowed that to happen! I'd only become-!"

Lunarre's claws were still at Mikleo's side, and he only sunk them in deeper when Mikleo once more tried to interfere. Pain tore through his lithe body and he couldn't help the scream that came from him, his usual stoic voice lifting up and echoing over the lake. A dark red liquid started seeping out onto his blue cloak, and as it did Lunarre leaned by his ear a second time. Whispering in the most vulgar of ways,

"I thought I told you to be quiet, little treat. I'm trying to have a talk with your lover."

Very suddenly, Edna burst into hysterical tears. They dripped, fat and full down her cheeks. Her face twisted horrifically. And then she was screaming,

"Stop it! Stop it! Don't hurt Meebo!"

Sorey ground his teeth together so hard he thought he'd crack them. A look of utter rage had crossed the normally gentle shepherd's face as he struggled with the emotions he felt inside.

He knew...he _knew_ that Mikleo was right. He had to fight this. If he didn't, if he gave into these emotions then everyone would be in danger. He knew. He knew!

But every tortured sound that escaped Mikleo's lips brought him further and further towards a darker path. And the emotions he felt were so strange, unfamiliar and terrifying but he _wanted_ to hurt Lunarre and Symonne _so bad_ for what they were doing to Mikleo! They had to pay for their actions!

And at that thought, a darkness he'd never experienced started to seep in. And Sorey made a loud and terrifying roar from where he stood, his eyes darker and more intense than anyone would've ever seen them. He'd been mad in battle before, but this was completely different. Because Symonne had indeed known exactly what button she needed to push to make Sorey start to turn...and it was working.

The other's immediately felt the difference. Connected to their shepherd, they had no choice but to feel his hatred as if it was their own. His pure, clean, clear energy was turning, and through their connection to him, the new tainted energy he was emitting came into each seraph through a direct channel. Something shifted in each of them, and they started to turn too, whether they wanted to or not.

Mikleo felt it. And as a rage that he knew wasn't his started to come to life inside of him, he understood what was taking place, and terror started to fill him. He'd already been afraid before. Being held hostage as he was, and being in so much pain on top of it, proved to be one of the most frightening things he'd ever been through. But seeing that darkness on Sorey's face, and seeing the kindness he always had in his eyes leave that green coloring, was somehow so much worse.

That was _not_ Sorey. At least not the one he loved. Sorey was kind and gentle and sweet. His innocence and nativity were some of Mikleo's favorite things about him. And to see all of that starting to melt away, seeing all of that being stolen from him, and knowing that it was because Lunarre was using him as a catalyst for that corruption, started to drive Mikleo mad. And so, his own emotions working against him, Sorey's hatred started to fill him, and Mikleo turned it into a hatred of his own.

He started to seethe in Lunarre's grasp. And even in knowing that they were dooming the entire world wasn't enough to quench the sudden swell of hatred he was feeling. His lips twisting into a snarl, he suddenly let out a furious growl, then started to twist and turn in his captor's grasp, trying to earnestly break free. It didn't matter that this made his injuries bite and sting. He writhed in Lunarre's grasp all the same.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" he roared. "Let me go this instant!" he demanded. "If you dare hurt Sorey, if you use me to make him turn, I'll rip you into pieces! I'll drown you in the bottom of the lake!"

"Ho ho!" Lunarre grinned, seeing the change in not only Mikleo but the other's as well. The look on Zaveid's face was becoming murderous, and Edna's tears were starting to stop as anger took the place of the fear and horror she'd just been feeling.

"It's working!" Symonne said with sudden elation. Her eyes aglow, she turned to Zaveid. "Do something else! Rip off his ear, pull out chunks of his hair, make him bleed! I don't care, which, do anything! They'll be hellions in another minute, tops!"

Lunarre, more than happy to oblige, looked to the seraph he had in his grasp, his golden eyes aglow with delight. Greedy with the opportunity, he seemed to take his time deciding what it was he should do next.

"Maybe a little something here? No…no…here? A nibble? Maybe his neck?"

And simply hearing Lunarre talk about it was maddening enough. The entire group seethed, and although no physical transformations had started to take place yet, Mikleo let out an uncharacteristic hiss of rage,

"Don't touch me! Get your filthy hands off of me!"

Symonne crossed her arms over her chest and let out a frustrated groan.

"Will you hurry it up? I don't want to be here all day!" Lunarre frowned, clearly unhappy about being rushed.

"Fine, fine! Take all the fun out of everything!" he complained. "I'll just start to eat him then, if that's alright with you? That'll turn our shepherd quickly enough."

Symonne waved him onward nonchalantly as if what he'd just proposed was no big deal. And seeing that he'd gotten his bosses approval, Lunarre grinned triumphantly. Eagerly, he licked his lips, running his tongue over them slowly. He started to salivate as he imagined what it was a pure water seraph must taste like. His hand still gripping Mikleo's hair, he forcefully pulled his head back, exposing his smooth white neck. Mikleo was still fighting wildly, but even ignoring his painful injures, he was simply too injured and too small to break free.

Lunarre lowered his face to his skin, then inhaled his scent deeply.

"Mmm…so pure. Even now while you're being slowly corrupted by malevolence. I can't wait to taste you…"

Purposefully, he opened his jaws wide, revealing the sharp fangs he had hidden beneath his lips. Then, moving his mouth nearer, his hot breath washed over Mikleo's neck. Positioning himself just over his jugular, he was just about to bite down.

 _"NOOO!"_ Sorey _screamed._

But just before Lunarre had a chance to do anything, a sudden and immediate burst of holy energy washed over the entire lake region. It spread outward, and it spread fast, overtaking the entire group of hellions, seraphim and the lone human. The holy domain was so powerful, and so perfectly pure, that it certainly would have rivaled that of Heldalf's malevolence. And as it washed over all of the beings involved, it seemed to almost hum or sing as it moved over them.

Like someone striking a bell, immediately the evil that had been taking seed in Sorey was pulled up by its roots and dissolved as if it had never been. And of course, this freed the others from its grasp as well.

Lunarre let out a horrific wail as the holy energy came over him like a wave. And seeming to be incredibly crippled by it, he suddenly dropped Mikleo to the soggy ground ungracefully. And after he did, he fell to the ground himself, cowering and throwing his hands over his head as he started to shake in seeming fear. He seemed frozen and unable to move, much how Sorey and his party once were at Glaivend Basin.

"What's happening?!" Symonne cried out. And although she wasn't crippled by the domain the way Lunarre was, since she was in fact a seraph, she _did_ however seem incredibly terrified by it. Her red eyes were huge with fright, and her skinny legs trembled as she stood, looking around herself for the source of the holy power.

The holy energy washed over Sorey like a wave, drenching him in its pureness. In no more than two seconds, whatever rage he'd been feeling inside was dissipated completely, leaving Sorey breathless and relieved. He'd felt so helpless and scared, and so utterly unlike himself. Not anymore.

And of course, the mysterious holy energy had effected Mikleo's captors too, and by the time Symonne and Lunarre were petrified from its effects on them, the shepherd flew into action. He could protect and save his love now.

"Mikleo!" he cried. He bolted forward as fast as he could, his boots slapping against the soggy wet ground. And as soon as he neared Mikleo, he fell to his knees and reached out. Quickly, he picked up the fallen water seraph, carefully and tenderly in his arms. Cradling him to his chest, he looked at his love, eyes full of nothing but worry and concern.

"Mikleo, it's okay now!" he shouted, tears starting to well up in his leaf-green eyes as he looked over his love's battered and bloodied form. He wasn't worried about Lunarre and Symonne at that very second; the potency of the blessed domain was great, and Sorey knew that he at least had a little bit of time to make sure Mikleo was alright. And he needed to know that, far more than anything else at the moment.

Mikleo felt the blessed domain wash over him, and relief filled him as he was instantly freed from the malevolence that had been invading him. But what was far _far_ more relieving was being freed from Lunarre and being in Sorey's arms, where he belonged.

His body was throbbing, and everything hurt. Parts of him still felt like they were on fire since Symonne had burnt him with her spell, and the rest of him was aching from the beating he'd taken from Lunarre. And worst of all was his side, which had deep, abysmal, puncture wounds from Lunarre's cruel claws. But…

…as soon as he saw Sorey's worried face, and as soon as he saw his kind green eyes fill with tears, as always, Mikleo prioritized the person he loved over himself. He suppressed the groan that threatened to come up and out of him, and he did his best to control the discomfort he was in. Instead, he forced a small smile onto his face, unaware of how sad it really looked. Smiling as best as he could for his love, he lifted one of his battered hands. Gently, and with as much love as ever before, he caressed Sorey's cheek.

"Don't make that face," he said tenderly. "I'm fine. Really. I'll be ok…"

The tears Sorey had been trying to hold back finally fell, streaking down his face the instant Mikleo smiled at him. He was trying so hard to be strong for him. Sorey knew he was in an impossible amount of pain, and yet he was still trying to take care of him, to reassure him. Mikleo had always been strong and selfless like that.

"Y-you will," he sniffed, trying his best to smile too, although it came out just as sad-looking as his lover's. "Because I'm going to take care of you," he promised. "I'm gonna make sure you'll be alright," he promised, even as he realized he knew very little of first aid. Mikleo had always been the healer. It was Mikleo who'd always saved everyone's hides in battle with his powerful and potent healing spells. But he would do his best. He had to. He couldn't stand to see Mikleo hurting like this.

It was during their tender moment that Symonne screamed out in horror,

"Oh my God! What _is_ that!?"

Everyone turned to look, and when they did, they all spotted a white figure standing far off across the lake near the caves. Even from a great distance, they could all easily see that it was the figure of a woman. Slowly, and purposefully, she started to move toward them. And as they watched, the group and everyone in it gaped in awe, for the woman was walking silently and effortlessly across the top of the water.

As she started to draw near, they all saw how impossibly beautiful she was. She wore a long, flowing dress that was transparent and light as silk. It flowed around her like water as she moved. Her hair was as long as Lailah's, and pale blue in color, with white tips on its ends, this also flowed effortlessly around her as if made of water. And as she grew even nearer still, more details came into focus.

As if being carried with her, or perhaps exuding from her, mist gathered round her bare ankles. Her entire body sparkled as if she were covered in morning dew. And her eyes were a pale gray, the same color as the lake in early morning.

Mikleo had met plenty of other seraphs during his journey with Sorey, but as soon as he laid his eyes on this one, it was instinctual to understand how impossibly old she really was. There was something in how she moved, held herself, and even just in the way she existed in the world around her that let him know…she was thousands of years old. And simply in being in her presence, he couldn't help but to feel like an infant.

Zaveid and Edna seemed to sense this too. And Mikleo knew Lunarre and Symonne did as well, for their terror only seemed to mount. Lunarre literally started to sob, his fear was so great, and he only cowered against the ground all the more. Covering his head with his hands he trembled. And Symonne suddenly appeared petrified. Her feet and legs seemed plastered to the ground and she was unable to move. Her red eyes as huge as saucers, she watched the ancient seraph approach, her voice stolen from her, she seemed to gasp in air.

The ancient water seraph reached the shore. Stepping up and onto it, her mist came with her, and alongside it came a clean, clear, wonderful scent of pure water. As she stepped across the earth toward them, dew drops formed on the tips of all the grass around them, despite the ground already having been completely drenched from Mikleo's previous attack.

The woman moved purposefully forward, her silver eyes fixated on Sorey and Mikleo. She never tore her sight away. But in order to reach them, she had to first pass Lunarre. As she did, she reached out a slender, delicate looking hand. Stopping beside him, she turned her gaze from Sorey and Mikleo only for a moment. Then, with compassion she gazed upon the trembling, sniveling Lunarre.

"I release you from your burden…"

She tenderly touched her fingertips to his forehead. And the very second she touched him, he disintegrated into ash at her feet. Mikleo gaped, his lilac eyes widening in awe, for she had purified Lunarre with almost no effort at all.

Continuing to move forward, the water seraph came upon Symonne next. Turning to her, her perfect brow furrowed only ever so slightly, but seeing any amount of displeasure on the ancient's face was terrifying, even for Mikleo who wasn't the source of her disapproval.

"You," she said, her voice still soft, but somehow carrying important weight to it. "You leave my domain at once. Never return."

Symonne looked like she was going to wet herself. Still unable to speak a single word, she quickly turned and went to scramble away from the seraph. But she moved too quickly, and she was too frightened. She slipped in the mud and wet grass and fell down flat on her face. But that certainly didn't stop her. Terrified, she pushed herself back up, then continued to run as fast as she possibly could for Tolrin's exit. Within only seconds she was gone.

With both evil parties taken care of, the ancient water seraph then turned back to Sorey and Mikleo. Her eyes fixated on them, and she continued the last few feet toward them. Reaching them, she stopped. Then there was a long, stretching moment of silence where all that was heard was the roaring of the waterfall a great distance away. The three stared at one another, taking each other in. But then, carefully parting his lips, Mikleo addressed her,

"Nadia?"

There was another second of silence after the name was spoken. But then, to Sorey and Mikleo's shock, tears started to brim in the ancient seraph's silver eyes. Her face remained stoic, never twisting or forming a wrinkle, but even so, they could see the sorrow she held. Her face, although unchanged, suddenly appeared to hold more sadness than many lifetimes put together could manage. It was such a heavy grief that Mikleo could almost feel it himself.

"You two…you two are beautiful," she said, her voice still soft. "You are more beautiful than you could ever hope to even realize. And you are still so painfully young…"

Mikleo and Sorey had no idea what to say or how to respond to her, and for another moment, only the waterfall spoke. Nadia's tears fell. They dripped like pearls to the watery ground. Then, she spoke again,

"I've been watching you two ever since you entered my domain," she said. "I can see everything in, on, or near the water. I saw how you were during the boat ride, and I saw everything that took place just now." Her tears didn't stop, and with a steady voice, she spoke through them. "You're love for one another has reached a place inside of me that I thought had died long ago. I have not seen love between a human and a seraph so pure and wholesome since my own. And with you being a shepherd, and with you being a water seraphim, I am unable to do anything else but see myself in your place."

Sorey and Mikleo remained silent, still in too much awe to speak. Nadia slowly turned her gaze so that it rested solely on Mikleo.

"I'm very sorry I didn't interfere earlier on when you were initially attacked young one," she said. "But I had taken an oath not to interfere with the outside world unless it was something of dire importance with consequences that would affect the world. You were defending yourself and your love spectacularly for some time, and so I wasn't needed. I was unable to come and help until the shepherd began to turn."

Mikleo still had no idea what to say. Nadia was so ancient and her holy energy was so powerful that he felt breathless in her presence, even if he felt so akin to her, and was able to see himself in her place just as she saw herself in his.

"You two have a difficult road ahead of you," she said. "Just as Ulric and I did. But it seems you both already know this, and you understand perfectly how precious it is what you have. You already treasure each other and the fading seconds between you. Mikleo…you're courageous words that you spoke to your enemies earlier made that very clear. And so I don't need to give warning or to explain what type of fate awaits you."

Mikleo's cheeks pinkened at the mention of the words he spoke, for he knew exactly what it was Nadia was referring to, and knowing that anyone had overheard was a little embarrassing. But when Nadia saw the look on his face, a soft, but brilliant smile spread over her lips.

"Do not be discomfited," she said. "After all, it was those words that brought life back into the hollow place in me. I didn't think I could ever feel anything but sorrow again after Ulric died, but you…you and your passion for your human love moved me to my very core. Your devotion left me nearly breathless."

And then, Nadia gracefully got down onto her knees, her dress settling on the grass around her as she knelt before Sorey and Mikleo. Then, she elegantly reached out her arms to her fellow water seraph, and gently embraced him. Closing her eyes, her tears seemed to fall even faster.

"Don't be like me," she said to him. "Don't let Sorey's passing break you. Don't die of heartache. Don't shut yourself away for centuries, grieving alone in the dark. Don't make an oath." Gently, and more kindly than any mother, Nadia slid her fingers through his hair. She knew perfectly well the fear and panic her words were stirring up inside the other seraph. But even so, she knew he needed to hear these words now. Perhaps if she passed on her knowledge and experience to him…he wouldn't need to suffer the same ways she had.

"Instead…do all the things that you know would make Sorey happy. Go out into the world. See others. Be with other seraphim and other humans too. Live your life in a way that will make Sorey smile as he watches you."

Mikleo couldn't take it. Even just those few sentences were enough. And having already been through so much pain and trauma that day, adding this onto the end of it was just too much. Heat built up behind his eyes as his face started to twist in on itself. And with only one breath of Nadia's clean, wonderful scent, his tears were falling.

Nadia squeezed his shoulders lovingly, her tender heart breaking at the sight of his tears.

"You will be different from the others for having loved a mortal," she said. "You already are. And I believe it makes you wiser, for you will understand both sides of mortal and immortal alike. You will walk between both worlds, never belonging to either, but always belonging to both. And it will make your soul immeasurably bigger. Nothing makes a human or a seraphim grow as much as love and loss."

Mikleo let out a quiet sob. He couldn't bring himself to speak, which was perhaps for the best anyway, since there was nothing to say. The things Nadia spoke of…where things no one could prevent or change. It was what it was. She had used the word 'fate,' and Mikleo knew that was exactly right. Fate: a future no one could change.

"Shh…" she soothed. "I'm sorry to say these things to you. But I wish that someone had said them to me when I was young. I could have handled myself better, lived better after Ulric's passing. Perhaps I wouldn't have disappointed him…"

Gently, she ran her fingers through his hair one more time.

"For now, forget my words," she said. "Focus on Sorey, and Sorey will focus on you. Live fully and live your best. As you said to your enemy, throw yourself into him with all that you are. That is all you can do. Then, later, decades from now, recall my words when you need them."

Mikleo buried his face in Nadia's shoulder as if he'd known her for all his life. He held onto her as if she was family, and in a way Sorey had only ever seen him hold onto Gramps.

"I'm sorry they hurt you," Nadia said comfortingly. "They hurt you both inside and out, and I'm sorry…" She gave him a gentle squeeze. "I wish I could heal you with my artes as a parting gift, but alas, the dark one's curse prevents any artes from being used on you as well as it prevents you from using your own. You'll have to wait for the curse to wear off naturally. But do not fret, that should happen in only a few hours, perhaps up to a day. Until then…"

She turned her silver eyes to Sorey,

"Until then, your shepherd will be more than happy to care for you. I've seen the love and kindness in him just as well as you have, and I know even after just this one meeting with you both, that he would be delighted to nurse you back to health. If I were you, I would revel in it."

Nadia gave Mikleo one last hug, then gently, she handed him back over to Sorey, laying his head back up against him. Keeping her eyes on Sorey, her smile remained.

"Take care of him," she instructed. "He will love you for all time, as I know you will as well. But your time is much shorter than his, and you will never have to go a day without him. So while you're here…give him perfect memories."

Everything Nadia said was so difficult to think about. Sorey knew that the lady seraph was only doing her best to help Mikleo, and also himself, for the difficult times that would lay ahead for both of them. He knew that. But the thought of leaving Mikleo alone was simply too much. Sorey couldn't think about it. Not when just now, he'd been so afraid of losing Mikleo to Lunarre and Symonne.

All the same, he felt his own heart swell with emotion, and he recognized the sincerity and kindness that emanated from the water seraph as clearly as the mists that surrounded her. They'd moved something in her during their time together here in Tolrin, and Sorey owed her everything. Without her intervention, he very well may have turned into nothing but a shadow of himself, incapable of resisting the pull of the malevolence when Mikleo was hurt.

He met her soft gaze earnestly, and nodded in response, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'll take care of him, always," he promised, before daring himself to look down at his injured love. He'd been hoping that Nadia would be able to heal Mikleo, but whatever curse Symonne had used, they'd just have to endure.

"And he'll have perfect memories." he finished with the best smile he could muster. "Thank you Nadia. You've-" Sorey paused, gathering himself, before he spoke again. "You've saved us. I will always be grateful." And he would. No matter what happened, whether he died in battle fighting Heldalf or some other minion, died of old age, or...or even if he truly was able to become a seraph as well, this moment would forever be engraved in his memory. And he'd never forget the kindness and importance of her words.

Nadia's smile softened and she seemed very pleased with Sorey's response. But she had said all that she'd wanted, and so now, there was nothing left. Gracefully, she stood back up, her dress flowing down around her long legs.

"I'm so happy I had the chance to meet you both. You've made me feel whole again, for however brief a time, and I feel content to know that this world is in good hands before I leave it behind."

It was at these words that Mikleo finally found his voice. Alarm taking over his features, he struggled to sit up a little taller from his place in Sorey's arms.

"What're you talking about?" he asked. "Leave? But you're a seraph, you're immortal."

Nadia's smile seemed knowing, and her eyes crinkled with delight as if she thought Mikleo was just precious in his youth.

"Yes," she confirmed. "But even seraphim don't usually live forever. You're too young to have seen another seraphim depart, but after thousands of years, most of us usually choose when to pass on. I would have passed on myself back when Ulric died, but that would not have been good, since I was so grieved at the time and I was still young by seraph standards. Instead, I made an oath. And now that my oath has been fulfilled, and I know the world will be looked after, I can pass on peacefully. I can go and be with my Ulric without the sorrow that has plagued me for centuries."

It seemed nice enough. It was certainly a better way to die than what humans got stuck with most of the time. But all the same, Mikleo had already grown attached to the other seraph. She was so much like him: she shared his element, had loved a human who was a shepherd, and she had a similar personality. He liked her immensely even though they'd just met, and even in hearing what she was saying and sensing that it was indeed her time to move on, he didn't want her to leave.

"What about the blessing in this region?" he asked, perhaps just as a measure of trying to convince her to stay.

Nadia seemed to know exactly what Mikleo was doing, and her smile remained sweet and delighted at Mikleo's efforts.

"I am such an old seraph that my blessing will remain over this region for the expanse of my lifetime," she explained. "If a seraphim chooses to pass on and isn't taken from his or her region forcefully, than they can bestow the blessing of their entire life onto the area they loved the most. Tolrin is most certainly that place for me. It's where I met my Ulric, where we fell in love, where we built this city, and where we lived for as long as we were able. I love this city, this lake and this waterfall. And I could never leave without knowing it would be protected. I will do so as the last part of my oath."

Mikleo stared at Nadia. He knew he was young and he knew there was plenty he didn't know, but he'd never realized that there was so much about simply being a seraph that he didn't yet understand. Gramps had taught them much, but this seemed like a lesson he would have waited on. Teaching Sorey and Mikleo how seraphim died seemed like a heavy lesson indeed. And Mikleo was sure it was something he would have held back on until they were older.

"I must go," Nadia said. "I must be reunited with Ulric. We've been apart for far too long."

And that was something Mikleo understood. He understood perfectly. And he couldn't help but to recall his previous fear of the malevolence and how the reason he'd been so afraid of it was because it seemed like something that could separate him from Sorey. And only a moment ago when he was being held captive by Lunarre…it was agonizing to have Sorey in his sight, but to be unable to go to him.

Mikleo simply couldn't imagine being apart from him for thousands of years the way Nadia had been. And so, slowly, he nodded.

Nadia smiled once more, then gave a small, polite bow to them both.

"Keep working on your artes," she said cheerfully, even as she started to gradually fade away, sparkles and dewdrops appearing out of nowhere and lifting up into the sky above. "I was impressed with Roaring Surge, and whatever you were about to cast before you were interrupted sounded so beautiful. Let your spirit sour into your spells and you'll be unstoppable!"

She continued to fade, bit by bit being lifted up and away. But her smile remained until the very end, until finally, she vanished from view and Mikleo could no longer see her.

((Cliffhanger resolved! Hope you guys liked it. Also, did you catch the foreshadowing I hid in there? Hehe! I'm quite proud of myself. Anyway, feel free to leave a review or even PM me with anything you like. Next chapter, as always, is being worked on and I hope to have it up within the next couple of days, at the very latest next Thursday. I try very hard to update at LEAST weekly for you guys so the wait isn't so bad. As always, thanks for reading! ~Spotofpaint))


	21. Chapter 21: Healing Mikleo

** Chapter 21 **

Healing Mikleo

Sorey remained quiet for a moment out of respect for Nadia's passing. He was saddened by the parting of the powerful seraph. She'd said many touching things, and had also saved their lives: and perhaps also the world, once she'd banished the malevolence from him. But more than that, the shepherd realized she'd clearly had a large effect on Mikleo. Moreover, he could tell that some of the pain his lover felt wasn't just because of the physical injuries he'd sustained. It was also because of Nadia's fading away.

But she at least got to be with her Ulric again. They'd be together once more. And Sorey knew that Ulric would be happy to see her again, after all of these years. Wherever they were, they were at least together. Sorey was sure of that.

The green-eyed youth looked down to the seraph nestled in his arms, and tried to smile.

"We've got to get you back up to the room," he said softly, readying himself to carry his love back to the Water Crest Inn. "I'll take care of you. And while you're resting and recuperating, you can read the book about Nadia and Ulric," he said, trying to give Mikleo something to look forward to after such a heavy and difficult event. "Is it okay to pick you up?" he asked, concerned that jostling his love would be painful. Even so...he wasn't sure how else they'd accomplish this.

Mikleo felt numb in Sorey's arms. So much had happened and so quickly. Everything from being attacked, to brilliantly performing powerful arts, to being tricked, held hostage, meeting an ancient water seraphim, and then watching her die, was just too much to take in all at once. He felt like he was still trying to catch up, both mentally and emotionally. He wondered briefly if he was in shock, and he wasn't sure how to start processing.

But when Sorey suggested they go back up to their room to rest, he nodded quietly.

 _Yes, that's what I need…_ he thought. _Some quiet and some rest..._

He found it difficult to speak all of a sudden, and as things finally started to settle down, he found he was far more emotionally distraught than he realized. With the adrenalin wearing off, and the threat of life and death fading away, he was left with the reality of what had just occurred.

Symonne's words were still ringing in his ears. And the burning of her flames still lingered on his skin. And as he closed his eyes to try and get a handle on himself, he saw the frightening expression on Lunarre's face as he threw him to the ground.

His heart still pounding in his chest, he struggled to contain his anxiety. But it was difficult. And with Nadia's comforting presence gone, his already full head was flooded even more so with the new idea that even seraphim died.

Against his will, he started trembling in Sorey's grasp. Then, silently, he reached out a dirtied hand to Sorey's cloak. Closing his fingers weakly around it, he gripped the fabric tightly.

"Take me to our room…" he almost whispered, his voice shaking like the rest of him.

Zaveid and Edna, also seeming like they were in a daze from everything that had occurred, finally seemed to snap out of their own shock when they saw the state Mikleo was in and heard the way he spoke. Quickly, they both rushed into action.

"I'll run ahead and grab all of our first aid stuff from our room," Zaveid said. "I'll have everything waiting by the time you get up there, and I'll find out what it is humans do for pain, since we can't use artes." And without even a second's hesitation, he turned on his boots and started to run toward Tolrin's gates.

That left only Edna. And Edna was looking very different from her usual self. There was no sarcasm on her face, no scowl or disinterested far off look. Instead, the same distress that was on her expression earlier took over her features. Both of her hands had closed tightly around the cloth of her dress, and with wads of fabric in each fist, she squeezed. Her turquoise eyes were more emotional than anyone in the party had ever seen them before.

"I…I'll…I'll open all the doors for you," she offered, clearly not knowing what else it was she could possibly do to help. "A…and you!" She snipped, looking to Sorey. "You be careful lifting Meebo up."

Sorey knew Edna didn't mean her harshness. Everyone had been through something terrifying; as such, there's no way he'd snap back at the small seraph. She was doing her best, just like everyone else.

"I'll be careful," he said softly, more to Mikleo than to Edna, even if he was sure to be loud enough for her to hear. There was fear in Mikleo's eyes, which he couldn't stand. All Sorey wanted to do now was wrap him up and take care of him as best as he could. Such actions would bring both of them comfort. Mikleo needed to feel safe and to have his pain lessened, and Sorey desperately needed his lover to feel alright.

And so, carefully, using his strong legs, the shepherd stood up as he cradled his love to him as carefully as possible. "I'll be careful not to jostle you, okay?" he asked, searching Mikleo's face, trying to be as positive as he possibly could. "It'll be okay," he promised. If he could remain calm, if he could appear like everything was going to be okay, maybe Mikleo would pick up on it and calm down some.

And with that, the three of them headed back towards the inn, Sorey doing his best to be swift but also careful with the injured seraph as they traveled.

Mikleo felt alright for the first half of their journey, but as they traveled, things seemed to get worse. The adrenaline was still fading away, and as it emptied out of his system, the true extent of his injuries started to make themselves known. His skin bit and burned, and deeper down in his muscles, he throbbed from where Lunarre had been kicking him. And his side…

In an absent minded way, his free hand went down to where it was really beginning to hurt. And it was only when his fingers slid into something hot and wet that he remembered the damage Lunarre's claws had done. He glanced down briefly, but when he glimpsed the dark red blood that was dripping down behind them as they walked, he quickly looked away once more, sucking air in through his teeth. If he didn't have to, he wasn't going to look at it.

"Don't touch it," Edna immediately instructed. "You'll only make it worse."

When they reached The Water Crest Inn, Edna kept her word and opened the doors for them. Their group ran right by the front desk, completely ignoring the hostess who had tried to greet them, then tried to ask what was wrong. They hurried up the long, winding flight of stairs, Sorey still trying his best not to move too jarringly. But with it being stairs, it was difficult to be as smooth as he would have liked. And there was one or two times when Mikleo let out a stifled cry, causing his heart to stop for a second.

Finally, they reached the top floor. Edna opened the door out and onto the landing, and together they all tried to hurry down the hall. It was at this moment that they saw Lailah standing outside the seraph's room, looking incredibly worried and confused. But when she saw Sorey rushing toward her, that expression plummeted to fear.

"Oh no, it's true?" she gasped. Immediately, she fell into step beside Sorey, and it was the first time she'd set eyes on her water seraph companion. As soon as she did, she let out a choked sob and her blue-green eyes filled with tears.

"Oh Mikleo…" Already crying, her kind eyes filled with anguish, she looked to Sorey. "Zaveid has all the first aid things in your room. And I know a little bit about how to do first aid without the use of artes. Let me help!"

Sorey winced when Lailah started to cry. This whole situation was nothing but painful for everyone involved, and he hated seeing his Prime Lord hurt like this. _She must have been so scared when..._ But he couldn't think about her being alone in the room, and feeling the malevolence grow inside of her when he'd started to lose it. Sorey knew they'd have to talk about all of that later, but for now, this was about Mikleo.

"Please help," he asked, looking to Lailah with a begging look. "Even though Mikleo's always been the healer thanks to his artes, I did learn some basic first aid tips along the way. But I think we're gonna need your help, Lailah."

Within a few more moments they'd reached their destination, and the team of seraphs entered Sorey and Mikleo's room. The shepherd gently placed the groaning water seraph on their bed, taking the time to brush the sweaty, bloodied bangs off of Mikleo's forehead with care, then placed a swift kiss on his forehead.

"We'll take care of you, Mikleo. Don't worry," he said. "We're all gonna help." And with that promise, Sorey started to carefully remove some pieces of clothing, like his circlet and his boots, then he looked to Lailah as he focused carefully on removing his shredded outer clothing, so they could have access to Mikleo's wounds.

"Alright," he said to Lailah. "Let's do this." His hands wanted to tremble. Seeing his lover like this was impossibly painful. He'd never thought he'd see the day when Mikleo would have to suffer like this. And it didn't escape him that he'd just placed his battered and bruised love on the same bed they'd just made love in not even twenty four hours beforehand.

Sorey took a deep breath, and readied himself for what was to come. He didn't know if he was ready to see the extent of his love's wounds, but...well, he'd have to be strong.

As Mikleo was laid in their bed, he couldn't help but to noticed how all of his friends gathered round him. Edna, Zaveid, Lailah, and of course, Sorey, were all there. And all four of them were looking at him with these worried expressions he'd never seen on them before. Despite the pain he was in, it seemed instinctual for him to try and smile to reassure them.

"I'm ok, don't look at me like that," he told them. "The spell's supposed to wear off by tomorrow, right? I'll just heal myself then."

"Shut up Meebo!" Edna suddenly cried. "You're not ok! You're bleeding! And we can't heal you!" And quite suddenly, she burst out crying just as she had out in the field. And when she did, it was hard to see. She was always picking on him, always teasing. And sometimes…she could be really mean. But it wasn't until Lunarre had started to hurt him that Mikleo realized how much that was all just a rouse. Edna clearly cared about him. And he suddenly wondered…if she didn't treat him the way she used to treat her brother before he'd been corrupted by malevolence.

"Edna…" he said softly. Lifting her hands, she wiped at her face fitfully.

"Stupid Meebo!" she cried. "Stupid stupid Meebo!"

"Hey now…" Zaveid warned, but Mikleo wasn't upset by it. Instead, his face seemed to change into one of sympathy. He felt bad, and it showed.

"I'm sorry I scared you…" he said to her. "But really, I'll be fine. I'm not just saying that."

Edna continued to cry. Lailah walked up to her side, putting her hands on her shoulders. Comfortingly, she gave them a squeeze.

"Edna…I know this is terribly upsetting, but we have to tend to Mikleo's wounds right now. It might be a good idea if you weren't here when we take off his shirt, it might upset you even more. If you wanted, I think you should head back to our room and cry it out. Then, when you're feeling better, you can come back and see him. Ok?"

Edna couldn't speak through her sobs. But slowly, she nodded. She trusted that the others would know what to do, and that they would take care of Mikleo properly. After all, Lailah had already said that she knew some human medicine.

"Ok," she said, her voice quaking. "But you better patch him up properly!" Lailah nodded.

"We will."

Edna looked like she was ready to leave, but then she hesitated. Through her tears, she looked back to Mikleo. Then, with a quick decision, she suddenly hurried over to the side of the bed. Then, reaching out her arms, she wrapped them around his neck, giving him a brief, but gentle hug. While holding onto him, she said,

"Honestly…you make me feel like a little kid…" Then she released him. "Get better fast, stupid."

Then she turned and hurried out of the room. For just a second or two, it was silent after she was gone. But that was only until everyone turned back to Mikleo.

"Ok, let's get that off," Lailah said, referring to his black undershirt. Zaveid and Sorey nodded, their expressions grim. Zaveid took it upon himself to be the one to help Mikleo sit up. More gently than anyone thought was possible for the usually brusque wind seraph, he put a dark hand to his companions back. Then as gently as possible, he lifted him up.

Mikleo winced only briefly.

With Zaveid holding him, it was Sorey that came forward to remove his shirt. Using the same loving hands he'd used only the night before, he very carefully peeled the shirt up from its bottom, lifting it up and over Mikleo's head. It came away with a bit of difficulty, considering it was sticking to Mikleo's skin in places from his burns. But finally, with it removed, the total damage was finally clear.

Lailah let out a quiet, devastated sounding 'oh…' from her place. And for just a second, she turned away. The burns and bruises they'd seen on Mikleo's arms, were of course also all over his chest and torso. And the puncture wounds on his side from Lunarre, appeared much more devastating without the cloth in the way.

"Lailah," it was Zaveid that snapped the fire seraph back to herself. "There's no time to be squeamish right now. Tell us what to do to stop the bleeding."

And quickly, Lailah turned back around to face everyone.

"Yes," she said, her face becoming serious once more. "We need to apply a pressure bandage to that area. We'll gather up those gauze over there and press it into the wound. Then we'll wrap it with bandages and finally tape it down. That will stop the bleeding."

Her face all business, she turned to Sorey.

"Sorey," he stiffened when she addressed him, his green eyes snapping to attention.

"Yes."

"Since you're the only one of us that can be seen and heard, I need you to go out and buy some pain medication. Last time I checked, it comes in a bottle as a liquid. It's something Mikleo can drink to make him feel better. Zaveid and I can wrap this wound while you do that. Then when you come back, we'll address the burns."

While Sorey wasn't happy to leave Mikleo's side at this time, he did want to make himself useful. And it was true: he was the only person in the group that could go and purchase the much-needed pain medicine. So really, what else was there for him to do? Time was of the utmost importance, and he knew Lailah and Zaveid would take care of Mikleo while he was away.

Kneeling, he then reached out and carefully took one of Mikleo's hands in his own, careful to touch only where it wasn't burned, and offered a smile.

"I'll be right back, okay?" he asked, already knowing what his love would say. And once Mikleo nodded and gave him permission, Sorey stood up, and hurried out of the room and through the hallways, desperate to get out of the inn as quickly as possible. He thought he remembered a store he and Mikleo had spotted the night before out on their date that sold medicine. He remembered it, specifically because Mikleo had been interested in the ways humans found to heal themselves without the seraphic artes. It was only a few streets away. And so the shepherd broke into a run once his feet hit the streets, certain they'd have what he was looking for.

When Sorey returned a short time later, he found that Zaveid and Lailah had managed to bandage up the large wound on Mikleo's side. They'd also gotten a large bowl of cool water and some rags. Very, _very_ gently, they were helping Mikleo clean off a lot of the mud he'd been covered in, and also some of the wounds which had gotten dirty. Some of his more severe burns had cool rags placed on top of them simply for relief. But it was clear to Sorey that even in how careful they were being, Mikleo was starting to look like he was in agony. Covered in a cool sweat, his face was tight with a grimace when his boyfriend entered the room, and it was only after he realized Sorey had returned that he tried to hide how much pain he was really in.

"Welcome back Sorey," he said, once again forcing a brave smile onto his face.

In seeing Sorey had returned, it was Zaveid who hurried over to him, taking the medicine. Then, quickly and wordlessly he hurried back over to Mikleo. As carefully as he had been, he helped the smaller seraph to sit back up.

If Sorey hadn't caught Mikleo's anguished face upon entry, he would have known by the way Zaveid was acting how things had really gone while he was away. Zaveid was tense, and he clearly wanted nothing more than for Mikleo to take the pain medicine.

"Bottoms up," he said to the water seraph, then tipped the liquid back and in. Mikleo drank eagerly: a little too eagerly. And by the time Zaveid put the bottle back down there was only one question on the water seraph's mind,

"How long until it starts working?" he asked Lailah.

"If I recall correctly the last time I did this, it was about twenty minutes to half an hour."

"Half an hour!?" Zaveid cried in shock, his orange eyes huge with disbelief. "That's outrageous!"

"No it's not Zaveid," Lailah explained calmly. "Artes work instantaneously, but human medicine does not. Human medicine works _with_ the body. What Mikleo just drank still needs to go through his stomach and be digested. Only then will it get into the rest of him. So he won't feel it until later."

Mikleo was looking distressed at the news, and Lailah's heart throbbed from within her chest at the expression. Quickly, she smiled for the young seraph.

"Don't worry," she said. "Once it does start working, I hear it's very good! The previous time I used it, I was told it blocked out almost all discomfort."

"And when was that?" Zaveid asked. "Who'd you use this stuff on before?"

"What?" Lailah suddenly asked. "You said there's a bird outside the window I should go see? Where?" And immediately she turned and hurried toward the large window that overlooked the waterfall. "Oh there it is! Oh he's pretty! Thank you for pointing him out Zaveid!"

Zaveid sighed.

"There goes the answer to _that_." Turning away from the flighty fire seraph, Zaveid instead looked to Mikleo, who was still clearly struggling with his pain. "Nothing left to do but wait. Sorry Mikky…"

For just a second, Mikleo's distress remained on his face. But then, he turned his head and looked to Sorey. And even just seeing that his boyfriend was with him seemed to put him at ease.

"That's ok…Sorey's here." Then, propped up on his pillows, he reached out a hand toward him. "Sit with me?" he requested. "Hold my hand. If you do, time will pass more quickly."

Sorey immediately acquiesced to Mikleo's request. "Of course." In a flash, he pulled over one of the lounge chairs near the window and moved it to the edge of the bed, then plopped down in it and took Mikleo's offered hand very carefully in his own.

Sorey remembered being injured when he was little, before Mikleo had known his powerful healing spells. It had taken him two weeks to heal. It had not been easy to be discomforted for so long, and his wounds had been nothing like Mikleo's. He could only imagine what the water seraph was going through.

His heart thudded painfully in his chest. How could anyone have done this to him? Symonne was awful.

Sorey knew that he didn't need to focus on any of that, though. He needed to stay positive. Twenty minutes wasn't too long to wait for the medicine's effects to begin. He could keep his boyfriend company and make him feel better in other ways until then.

"Thanks Lailah, Zaveid," he said, understanding the gentle care they'd given Mikleo while he'd been away. "You guys did a great job," he said. "And the medicine will kick in in no time," he reassured, smiling softly at his love, determined to be strong for him. That's what he needed. He needed a support. Mikleo didn't need to worry about him worrying.

Seeing Sorey be his usual, kind and gentle self lifted Mikleo's spirits immensely. And having him hold his hand may have seemed simple, but it worked far faster than the medicine he was waiting for. A genuine smile replaced the brave one he'd just been wearing.

"Do you remember those few years when we were kids and you used to get sick frequently?"

"Yeah," he said with a chuckle. "I got sick a lot. Gramps was never sure why. Maybe because I was born prematurely," he said with a shrug. "But you used to nurse me and dote on me, every time I fell ill," he said, flashing Mikleo a bright smile, feeling gratitude for the other young man's kindness. "Even when I was sneezing and coughing my head off, or had an upset tummy and couldn't eat anything except broth or oatmeal." And he had a good chuckle at that one. "You were always there with me. And now, I get to be there for you too," he said, wishing he could squeeze Mikleo's hand, but knowing he'd better not. Still, the fond memories chased away some of his worry. Just being with Mikleo made him feel better, and it was nice to reminisce.

Mikleo's smile reached his lilac eyes.

"I used to hate when you were sick, because we couldn't play together. And I was always so worried. But…on another level, I kind of enjoyed it too. I liked taking care of you. Gramps said I was a natural nurturer. I think…he suspected I'd be a water seraph and a healer, even before we discovered my artes."

He took in a breath of air, held it, and then slowly let it go. His body let off a tremor, but only once. Then he refocused on Sorey and his smile remained.

"Remember that time I tried to make you soup?" he almost chuckled, his eyes squinting shut with delight, but he forced himself not to because he knew it would hurt if he did. "The broth was fantastic, but I burnt everything else that went in it. It was like a…a soup of charred vegetables." And then, despite himself, he did laugh just a little bit. "And you…even when you were sick as a dog…you were so sweet…you tried to eat it, just to spare my feelings."

Sorey grinned as he remembered just exactly how burnt those vegetables had been.

"Of course I ate it!" he proclaimed, eyebrows raising in mock surprise. "You made me soup, all by yourself," he stated. He'd known, even then, that to not eat Mikleo's food that he'd tried so hard to make him, would've been horrifically rude. "If you want to talk about sweet, let's talk about you, and how you made it for me in the first place. It's the thought that counts."

That perhaps was a bit of a stretch. It hadn't been very good soup. But he'd loved it, just because Mikleo had spent a long time doing his very best to make it for him, and that made it wonderful soup.

Mikleo chuckled again, despite the sting it caused in his ribs.

"You could've died. I'm surprised you didn't choke on it."

A content sounding sigh suddenly came from the other side of the bed, and when Sorey and Mikleo looked over they found Zaveid seated in a chair, resting his chin in his elbow as he listened to the two reminisce. But when he saw them looking his way, he blinked.

"What?" he asked. "Don't mind me. Please, keep going. What other cute things did you guys do as kids?" And really, he seemed far more interested than he should have been. "Did you guys have cute little crushes on each other even at that age?"

Normally, Mikleo would have gotten defensive, or short with the wind seraph. Perhaps he would have crossed his arms over his chest and told the other seraph that it was none of his business. But for some reason, he was starting to feel very relaxed. It was a gradual change, but the bite in his skin and muscles was starting to fade. And because of that, and everything that had just occurred outside with their enemies and with Nadia, he was feeling more open.

"Yes," he openly and fully admitted. "I've had a crush on Sorey for as long as I can remember."

"D'aww!"

Sorey flushed. He wasn't used to Mikleo being so open about their relationship, especially around Zaveid. But then, maybe he was starting to feel the effects of the pain medicine. Either way, he didn't mind. Actually, it was nice to have someone so interested in their relationship. Zaveid was clearly very supportive, even if he was sometimes a pervert. And knowing that Mikleo was okay with their relationship being a subject of conversation, he decided to pitch in too.

"S-same, actually," he said, looking to the side. "It's been there for a long time. I feel like I was pretty obvious about it too. I'm sure Gramps knew," he said, looking to Mikleo, even as he already knew the other youth's response.

"Mikleo used to wear these tights," Sorey said. "When we were little. He was really adorable in them and his little tunic."

A quick, hot blush overcame Mikleo's cheeks at the mention of _that._

"O-oh yeah?" he stuttered. "What about you with your messy hair? Always with the messy hair. I swear you never combed it on purpose. You'd just run around Elysia all willy-nilly, free as a bird, never caring what you looked like. And you wouldn't let me comb it either! Not for the longest time."

But despite Mikleo's objections, it was clear that this was perhaps the thing he'd liked most about Sorey when they were younger.

Zaveid was looking _delighted_ as the two bantered. His orange eyes aglow, grin plastered on his face, he only leaned further forward in his chair.

"Reeeally?" he hummed. "When _did_ he start letting you comb his hair Mikky?"

Mikleo's blush grew a little darker, but his embarrassment didn't stop him from telling the story. At least not this time.

"When we were older and he started actually caring about his appearance. Actually, I remember almost the exact day. It was my coming of age birthday. Gramps had made me my cloak and had given it to me as a gift. I was so excited to be in some adult clothes. I went back and changed. And when I came out, Sorey looked at me…and he looked at me in this way that…"

But he stopped himself there, his voice drifting off into memory. It had been the very start of something so new and exciting. And the little crushes they'd had on one another had turned into something more, something more adult. It was the first time Mikleo had felt that pounding in his chest and that stir in his very core that let him know there could be more.

"Anyway…Sorey started caring about his appearance a little more after that." Looking to his boyfriend, he smiled. "Although if you ask me, he's still a total slob."

Sorey knew exactly the time Mikleo was referring to. That had indeed been the day that Sorey had suddenly and, to those who didn't understand his already-present crush on the water seraph, inexplicably began to greatly care about what he looked like. At least, much more than he had before.

The shepherd felt himself blush, and he had to clear his throat for a second before he could finish listening to the rest of Mikleo's story. And of course, right at the end, his boyfriend couldn't help but jab at him a little.

"H-hey!" he protested, feigning hurt at such a comment. "I clean up nice," he said stubbornly, pouting a little just for show. "I may not smell like a fresh rainfall on a summer's breeze all the time like _some_ people, but I'm definitely not a slob." He stuck out his lower lip for further effects.

Mikleo smiled, his eyes crinkling with delight.

"You do clean up nicely," he admitted. "A little lipstick on this pig goes a long way."

Zaveid laughed outright, and even Lailah who had been trying not to eaves drop let out a small giggle. After all, she'd been there when Mikleo had first said such a sentence at the start of their journey. But as his friends laughed and as Sorey started to loudly protest, Mikleo turned his gaze away from them all and over to his blue cloak which had been discarded unceremoniously onto the floor during his undressing. With his physical pain finally starting to ebb, the medication numbing it, he had more time to focus on the other types of injuries he had: and one of those injuries was the trauma Lunarre had induced by destroying his cloak. His amethyst eyes rested on it woefully, sorrow overcoming his features.

"Gramps had worked on it for months…" he said quietly. Everyone stopped laughing and stopped fussing. The room fell quiet. Mikleo didn't need to explain any more for them to all understand how important his cloak had been. It had been a gift from his grandfather. It had also been a symbol of his coming of age. It had been what he had been wearing when Sorey first looked at him in a romantic way. And it had been a rite of passage into becoming a full blown water seraph.

Lailah, who was standing nearest to it, walked over to the heap it had become.

"Maybe it's not that bad," she said optimistically. "Maybe we can salvage it." Reaching out, she took it up into her hands. Lifting it by its shoulders she let it hang so they could all take a look at the damage. As she did…a piece fell off of it and to the floor. The cloak was in tatters. The two wings on its back were shredded, several of the belts on its sides had been snapped clear through, and there were tears in the rest of it, not to mention the blood, dirt, and grass stains it now sported. It certainly didn't look salvageable.

"Oh…"

Mikleo's face twisted. The sight of his cloak so destroyed clearly was devastating for him. But even as the others saw how it affected him, and even as he turned his gaze away, he mumbled,

"It's ok…it's just clothes…"

But the problem was, it was so much more than just clothes. Sorey knew exactly how much he loved his cloak. And he knew exactly how much Mikleo cared about his appearance. To lose such an item would be the equivalent of losing an important part of himself, and Sorey didn't want his lover to experience such a loss.

"I'm sure there's something that can be done," he said, his face earnest and full of hope. "There are so many fabric stores here in town. Maybe we can find a way to fix it." He'd mended things before. Actually, he was pretty good at making things with his hands. He wasn't as skilled as Gramps, not by a long shot, but Sorey knew how to sew a few things. And maybe Lailah could help. Sorey really wanted to fix this for Mikleo, and he made a mental note to head to town at some point if Mikleo fell asleep again.

No one else shared Sorey's optimism. All three seraphim looked at him with woe. Even if they bought more fabric, it was looking like they'd have to make an entire new cloak. If they tried to patch up the one they currently had, it would be a mess of crooked seams and patches of new cloth over the old.

 _Unless…_ It was Lailah that suddenly got a spark in her eye as she ran the cloth through her fingers.

"I think I've got an idea," she said. "But…please don't get your hopes up. I don't know if it'll work. I'm not even sure if it's possible." Turning to look at Sorey and Zaveid she quickly said, "Please look after Mikleo."

Then, without further explanation, she hurried out of the room with the shredded garment. All three remaining men looked to the place she'd disappeared with confusion.

"I wonder what that was about?" Mikleo mused out loud. But almost as soon as he said it, he let out a sudden yawn. He was clearly far more relaxed than before, and if he was tired from the sheer exertion from the day, then that meant the pain medication had finally kicked in.

"Tired?" Zaveid asked a grin overtaking his face. "That's good. That means your finally comfortable, right?"

Mikleo nodded.

"I can't feel anything anymore." And although such a sentence would have been alarming under other circumstances, in this case it brought everyone immense relief. Mikleo still looked like total hell, and so, hearing he didn't feel anything at all was a good thing.

Zaveid stood up from his chair. Walking over to Mikleo's bedside, he grinned down at his travel companion.

"You rest up," he said while reaching out a hand in order to playfully rough up his hair. And even in Mikleo's condition, the water seraph found it in him to wrinkle his nose and try to swat the wind seraph away. But Zaveid only chuckled.

"I'm going to go check on Edna. Seems like she's pretty traumatized after today too. In the meantime, I trust you'll be more than happy with just Sorey at your side."

His boots clunking against the floor, he made his way to the exit.

"Cuddle him up real good Sorey. He'll heal faster."

And before the two young men even had a chance to blush, Zaveid stepped out of the door, and they could hear him chuckling as he moved his way down the hall.

Sorey watched Zaveid leave the room, blushing the entire time. Why did he have to say stuff like that? It was probably true. At least, Sorey wanted it to be true. He felt like affection could at least make Mikleo feel better, even if it didn't actually heal any of his physical injuries. But maybe he could at least chase away some of his other woes.

"That Zaveid," he said once the other seraph was out of the room. "I'm glad he's supportive, but he's definitely sort of a pervert," he chuckled, looking at Mikleo for his reaction.

He seemed more comfortable now that the pain medication was working. But he still looked...dangerously injured. Sorey had never seen his love like this before, and it wasn't easy. He was suddenly glad Lailah had given him a task to do while she and Zaveid had started to bandage his wounds. If this was difficult for him to see, then seeing Mikleo wince or cry out in pain as they bandaged him would have been worse. He let his green eyes soften as he met Mikleo's gaze.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said softly. Not being able to kiss or to hold his lover after such an ordeal was difficult. All he wanted to do was wrap him up in a blanket and hold him and drink some more of that tea or coffee they'd had the night before on their date, and forget about all of this.

"I know the spell's not worn off yet, but it will soon. Until then, I get to be your nurse. I'll get you anything you want, do anything you want," he promised. "Whatever that is." And he dared to bend down and kiss the top of the seraph's forehead, sure to place his lips on a place that wasn't injured.

Mikleo's eyes fluttered until they were halfway closed as Sorey kissed him.

"That's easy," he responded in a tired voice. "Zaveid already told you what to do." Reaching out his hand, he patted the mattress beside him. "I'm injured, not made of glass. Lay down beside me and I'll sleep through most of this."

Mikleo smiled softly Sorey's way.

"Zaveid's probably right for once: I'll heal faster this way," he said. "All you have to do, is be with me."

Now that he had permission, Sorey was more than happy to climb up on the bed next to his love. He was careful to not jostle Mikleo too much. But he did get as close as possible, needing to watch him, to be near him, so he'd know the water seraph was alright. The day's events had been hellish, nothing like their day before. They'd been through so much.

And as he started to think that too, the emotional weight of everything that had just happened threatened to sink in on him. The young shepherd suddenly felt exhausted. It was hard to believe everything that had happened to them in just under twenty four hours. Life as a shepherd, he knew, was never easy, but Sorey personally felt like today was one of the worst.

Looking to Mikleo then, he forced himself to smile, focusing on the positive in front of him, instead of wallowing in his thoughts.

"I'm here," he said softly. "And I won't leave your side." He brushed some disheveled bangs away from Mikleo's bare forehead, and smiled again, pleased at least that his companion seemed to feel more peaceful with him this close.


	22. Chapter 22: Finding Heldalf

((Sorry it took so long to update you guys. But my wife and I are back in the swing of things and are writing again. As such, updates should continue. We intend to finish this story to the best of our ability. Hope you guys are still reading! ~Spotofpaint))

 

Games » Tales of Zestiria » When Lightning Strikes the Water  
Author: Spotofpaint «  
Rated: T - English - Romance/General - Reviews: 32 - Published: 01-29-16 - Updated: 09-04-16 id:11760231

** Chapter 22 **

Finding Heldalf

The two fell asleep beside each other. And since it was already sunset, they started to sleep through the night. They were peaceful enough for the first several hours while Mikleo's human medicine was working. But only about halfway through the evening he started to wake up from the growing pain as the medicine started to wear off.

Sorey of course, woke when Mikleo woke. And finding his love's face and body tense, groans of misery barely suppressed, was not what he'd wanted to see in the twilight hour.

Mikleo attempted to heal himself, both he and Sorey hoping and praying that Symonne's curse had worn off by now. But it was to no avail. And after Mikleo's third desperate attempt, and after Sorey had to listen to him groan out "Oh Holy Fountain" for that third time, it became obvious what he needed.

Sorey at least already knew what to do. Lailah had shown him where the medicine was, and he'd seen how to help his love drink some when it was given to him earlier in the day, and so, he quickly got up and moved to the nightstand. Fetching the bottle, he came to Mikleo's side. Carefully, and filled with the same love and care as always, he helped him sit up. Holding him in his arms, he offered him more of the medication. Once done, he only had to wait twenty minutes or so, and then Mikleo fell back into a peaceful slumber.

Laying him back down, Sorey then climbed into bed and curled up beside him once more. But it became much harder to sleep the second time through, and instead, Sorey found himself wide awake, staring at the ceiling, a feeling of dread lodged in his chest.

Eventually morning came. Sorey, having been up half the night with worry, had finally fallen asleep near day break. As such, he of course started to sleep in, needing his missed hours of slumber. And so, it was Mikleo that actually woke first.

It wasn't until the sun was well risen in the sky, several hours later that Mikleo moved to Sorey's bedside. Fully healed, fully dressed (with exception of his missing cloak) and fresh from a bath, he stood at the side of the bed by his boyfriend. He appeared as normal as ever, and perhaps even more impeccable than usual. His skin was smooth and white again, his seraphic shimmer and glow back where it belonged. All the dirt, grime and blood had been washed clean, and each white and blue hair was in its perfect place. And perhaps best of all, was that his usual confidence and bit of cockiness was back in his lilac eyes.

"Sorey," he said to the sleeping shepherd. "Sorey, wake up. The others are probably waiting on us." Reaching out a hand, he touched it to his shoulder. For just a second, he rested it there kindly, allowing a bit of his worry to show through. But then that second was over, and he fell back into their usual playful routine by roughly jostling the brunet.

"Rise and shine sleepyhead! You can't save the world with bed head like that! Come on now, get up comb your hair! We'll get some breakfast into you! We'll get you into the bath! You smell like a piggy!"

Smiling brightly, it was clear Mikleo was more than happy to tease, tease, and tease some more.

Sorey didn't budge for the first couple of seconds, but eventually, he opened his tired green eyes.

"Whu?" he asked eloquently, blinking up at Mikleo in confusion. Once his brain registered that his lover was up, the shepherd felt a ball of dread well up inside of him. In his sleepy state, all he could think about was how Mikleo was hurt, and shouldn't be standing.

Then, his brain finally caught up with his mind, and Sorey was able to realize that not only was Mikleo okay and healed, but that he looked clean and spunky too.

Blinking a few more times, it took him just two more seconds for his lover's teasing to sink in, and that's when he started to protest.

"H-Hey!" he stuttered. "I'm not a piggy!" He forced himself to sit up, eyeing his companion once again. "You're healed!" he exclaimed, then reached forward and pulled Mikleo into his chest, not caring that he probably didn't smell that great compared to his freshly-showered lover. He was just so impossibly relieved that Mikleo was alright.

"You're okay..." he mumbled into the seraph's shoulder, keeping his arms around him, not wanting to let go.

Mikleo hadn't been expecting the sudden hug, although he should have been, and as such his cheeks quickly turned a bright pink when he found himself forcefully and desperately pulled into Sorey's chest.

"H-hey!" He stumbled, his bare feet almost leaving the carpet seeing as he had been standing beside the bed and Sorey was still seated on it. Grabbing onto Sorey's shoulder's he caught himself before he fell. His knees against the mattress, he found a position (albeit an awkward one) that allowed Sorey to cling to him for a moment without him falling. There, Mikleo stayed still, knowing perfectly well that Sorey _needed_ to hold onto him for a second or two. And of course, it was during those few seconds that Mikleo felt how harshly the shepherd's heart was pounding against his chest. And in feeling it, and how tightly he was holding him, Mikleo also felt how frightened Sorey had truly been.

Sympathy and guilt filled him, and as he felt Sorey's heart beat against him, he lifted his own arms, wrapping them up around Sorey's back. There, he held him tenderly.

"I'm sorry…" he said softly. "I'm sorry I scared you…I scared everyone. I tried my very best…"

Relief filled Sorey as he felt Mikleo's lean arms encircling him, and he closed his eyes, letting his heartbeat slow back down as they embraced.

"No, it's okay," he reassured, taking in a deep breath, inhaling his lover's sweet scent as he breathed. That too was calming and comforting in its familiarity. "You were wonderful. You didn't do anything wrong. I..." And Sorey choked up, a sharp and sudden pain flooding his heart, along with a good dose of guilt.

"I almost-" but he couldn't finish his sentence. He felt so awful, so terribly awful, that he had let Symonne's plan get to him. But how could he not? They'd been torturing Mikleo. They'd pressed the very button they needed to, to get Sorey exactly where they wanted. Had Nadia not intervened, things could've been so much worse.

Sorey forced himself to calm down, inhaling deeply several times, before trying to start up again. "I'm just so glad you're alright. I was so scared." And he never admitted that. Sorey never, ever said things like that. He always did his best to be strong and positive, but never in a million years would he hide anything from Mikleo. That included his true feelings about everything that happened.

Mikleo unwrapped his arms from around Sorey. Then, carefully, he knelt down in front of him so he could gaze into his face. Once their eyes were locked, he reached out, taking his hands in his own.

"I was scared too," he admitted. "More than I ever have been before about anything."

Mikleo thought about telling Sorey about how painful it truly was to have his worst fears come true. Being used as a pawn to wound Sorey had been a nightmare he'd had since the beginning of their journey together. Having their enemies use the love they had for one another against them had been the most agonizing thing he'd ever had to endure. But…Sorey already knew this. He knew what he feared the most. After all, that fight they'd had back in Ladylake had made that very clear. And so, when he felt himself choke up as he tried to mention it, he didn't fret. He knew Sorey already understood.

"We're both feeling hurt and guilty. And we're both feeling like we failed somehow. But…it's not true." He squeezed Sorey's hands tightly. "We did all we could. And nothing that happened was your fault. And it wasn't mine either. The only people to blame are Symonne and Lunnare. They trapped us and put us in an impossible situation that _no one_ could have gotten out of. And so…we can't let these negative feelings hold us back."

Still holding onto Sorey's hands, he allowed a smile to come light up his face.

"We should just be our typical brilliant selves. And you should be as silly and as dense as usual, Sorey. That's what I want to see the most."

Sorey didn't know how he always did it, but Mikleo somehow managed to make him feel so much better with just a few short sentences. He'd felt a tear or two well up as he'd listened to the seraph speak, but at the end, all he could do was laugh.

The shepherd blinked back the tears, and smiled back at his love.

"Y-yeah," he agreed, locking gazes with Mikleo. "You're right," he said. "You're always right." Sorey took a deep breath, allowing himself to feel a little bit of relief. He knew he and Mikleo would both probably feel guilty over what had happened the day before, for at least a little while...but his boyfriend was right. They needed to move forward.

"Thanks, Mikleo," he said, and flashed his boyfriend an ever-brightening smile.

Mikleo retained his smile.

"Of course I'm always right," he teased as he rose back up to his feet. "And no thanks are needed. It's my job to keep the shepherd in line. Somebody has too." Leaning in, he planted a kiss onto Sorey's forehead lovingly. "Now come on. We have to get you cleaned up. You're not exactly smelling like a daisy. After, we should meet the others."

Sorey was actually happy to hear Mikleo's comeback. It was further proof that he was alright. And so, he nodded in agreement, looking fairly upset that he smelled.

He knew he did. At least, compared to the seraphs he did. And he knew very good and well the others wouldn't tolerate his natural 'human smell' as much as his lover did.

"Yeah, I'll go get cleaned up," he said, standing up and stretching his arms over his head, enjoying the sensation for a moment, before letting his arms fall back down to his sides with a swing. "I take it the bath's nice?" he asked, even as he headed towards their private bathroom. It would be nice to get all cleaned up. He just wished he had another set of clothes.

After Sorey had bathed, the pair finished getting dressed. Sorey looked fresh and ready to go in his usual Shepherd ensemble. Complete with boots, gloves and of course the famous cloak, he certainly looked the part of the shepherd. And Mikleo, as usual, helped him to straighten his feathered earrings once they were on.

"There," he said proudly to his boyfriend. "Ready to face the day?"

Mikleo inspected Sorey for a second, then came forward once more in order to brush his hand briskly over his shoulder to get off a bit of fuzz. When he finished, he grabbed the collar of his cloak and readjusted it. Perhaps he was being a bit more fussy than usual, but he just couldn't help it. They'd had such a bad scare the other day after all, and this was one of his ways of showing he cared.

That…and standing beside Sorey in his full attire, Mikleo was feeling suddenly very underdressed. Without his cloak, he appeared even smaller than usual. And without the protection it usually offered him, he felt vulnerable. And what was perhaps worst of all…he felt ordinary.

He was in nothing but his white pants, black boots and black undershirt. Without the blue cloak of his usual ensemble he was feeling awfully incomplete. And standing beside Sorey, he looked it too.

Grabbing at the feathers that hung from either end of the shoulders on Sorey's cloak, Mikleo carefully laid them so that they were even across his chest. At the very least he could make Sorey look good, even if he was unable to perform his own usual morning routine. Unable to take the pride in his appearance that he normally did, this was the next best thing.

Sorey seemed to understand on some level, even if he didn't completely get why Mikleo needed to fuss over him. And he was kind as always not to say anything. He simply smiled, and let Mikleo do what he wanted.

Eventually, Mikleo was satisfied with how Sorey looked and the pair left their room. And as was their routine, they met the other's down in the dining hall for breakfast. But of course, this morning was different from most others. And as soon as they entered, both Zaveid and Edna looked up.

"Mikky!"

"Meebo!" They both got to their feet. Forgetting their table, they ran over to Sorey and Mikleo. And once they reached the water seraph, they weren't shy. Zaveid reached out an arm, hooking his elbow around Mikleo's neck. Then, pulling him in to his chest in a sort of hug, he reached out his other hand and started to give a completely _terrible_ noogie as he held him captive.

"Thank God you're healed Mikky! We were so worried about you little guy!"

"Hey hey! OW!" Mikleo cried. "And don't call me little!"

Zaveid, apparently swimming with affection for his fellow seraph, didn't let him go. Instead, he stopped giving his noogies in order to wrap _both_ arms around his slender form. Once he had him, he practically crushed him as he squeezed tightly.

"Ugh!" But still not done, Zaveid then used his strength to lift Mikleo up and into the air, making his feet leave the ground.

"Grrah!" he cried, grinning and flashing his teeth all the while.

"Stop it! Put me down!" Mikleo demanded, his purple eyes huge with indignation. Zaveid listened, but only because he seemed to be done, not because Mikleo had asked. Putting him back on his feet, he gave him one more, giant, bear hug. Then, after crushing his ribs, he released his hostage.

"Ugh…" Mikleo groaned as he lifted his hands in order to start brushing himself off. "Can't you show your happiness in a less…obtrusive way?"

"Nope!" Zaveid replied loudly and proudly.

Mikleo had grabbed at the bottom of his shirt and had been tugging it down to try and get the wrinkles out of it. But that was when Edna clearly saw her opening. Stepping forward, she didn't hesitate either. Lifting her umbrella by its handle, she quickly and swiftly brought it down on top of Mikleo's white locks with a _crack!_

"OW!" Mikleo cried, lifting a hand to his skull. But even as he turned to face Edna, she suddenly thrust her umbrella forward, jabbing him in the side. Then mercilessly, even as Mikleo cried out, she hit him on his shoulder. "OW! OW! Edna! Stop it!"

"That's what stupid Meebos get!" she cried. "How could you possibly mistake that horrible woman for me? And how could you let yourself get lured away like that? I expected more from you!"

Mikleo rubbed at the spot on his skull which was still throbbing, then with his other hand, he rubbed at his side. But even as he was preparing to holler something awful at Edna, he finally had a chance to turn and face her. And when he did, his insult got caught in his throat. For her little face was twisted into an angry frown, and even with her pout, there were still barely held off tears in the corners of her eyes. It was clear she was working hard to put up a front to hide how terrified she'd been.

Zaveid stepped up to her side, resting a hand on her small shoulder. Then, facing Mikleo he said,

"She was really upset last night," he explained. "She was crying for quite a while. She was really worried about you Mikky."

Edna suddenly and cruelly jabbed her umbrella tip into Zaveid's side, and she'd done it much more harshly than she ever had to Mikleo. Zaveid let out a curse, then stepped away from Edna as he hunched over to hold the tender spot she'd created.

"I did _not_ cry!" she snarled. "And I certainly wasn't up all night worrying about stupid Meebo!"

Mikleo suppressed a chuckle. It was obvious, even to someone who didn't know Edna, that she was lying. And that warmed a spot in his heart for her. After all, it was only since yesterday's incident that he finally started to begin to understand her a little.

Smile still on his face, he stepped forward. And no one was prepared when Mikleo reached out his arms, taking Edna up and into them. Edna herself seemed to be in shock, her turquoise eyes widening as the water seraph hugged her.

"Thank you Edna," he said affectionately to her. "I'm glad I have you as a friend…"

She didn't say a word back to him, and she seemed like she couldn't, and after only a few seconds it was over. Mikleo stood back up and released her.

Sorey allowed himself to quietly watch all of the interactions between Mikleo, Zaveid, and Edna. He knew very good and well that the other two had been worried about Mikleo too, and he knew it was important that they have their moments with his boyfriend without him interrupting.

Watching Edna, the brunet was once again struck by the thought that Edna, for all of her toughness and harsh exterior, probably cared very deeply about the people she was close to. It must have been hard for her, he knew, to lose Eizen. She probably kept up her defenses so she wouldn't have to experience the pain of losing anyone else important to her.

But he'd seen clear as day that she really did care about Mikleo, even with all of the poking and the jabbing.

Zaveid's reaction was sweet, too. That was another person they hadn't initially seen eye to eye with, back when he'd been determined to take out the hellions without giving them a chance of purification. But now, the much-older seraph had become an important part of their family, and Sorey couldn't imagine having ever made their journey together without him.

Once all was said and done, and Sorey felt like he wouldn't be interrupting, he stepped forward, smiling softly at his companions.

"Good morning," he offered the two of them. "I see we're all lively as usual." And he grinned with that statement.

It was such a precious treasure to have things back to normal. He would've never thought yesterday morning at breakfast that they'd have a scare like they did later on in the afternoon...and while he was still feeling a little raw and shaken, Sorey knew one of the things that could help him was a sense of routine, a sense of normalcy. Mikleo had said much the same back up in their room. He needed things to be normal.

But...that required someone else to be around. "Where's Lailah?" he asked. "Is she still up in her room?" The last he remembered, she'd had an idea about how to fix Mikleo's cloak. Sorey just knew that the water seraph missed it. Maybe she'd been able to restore it, with whatever idea she'd been so excited about the night before.

"Yeah," Zaveid confirmed, facing Sorey. "She had a long night. After she left your room she went out into town to do something. Then when she came back, she started working on a…a project of sorts. She made us promise not to tell you what she was doing. But it's a good thing. She's working on a surprise."

Mikleo frowned. It was obvious they were talking about his cloak. And no matter how skilled a seamstress might have been, he knew there was no saving it.

"Zaveid…if she's working on my cloak, you ought to tell her to stop. There's no way she can salvage it. And if she's doing something else like trying to make me a new one…you can tell her to stop that too. I appreciate the gesture, but it just won't be the same. Maybe next time we're in Elysia I'll ask Gramps if he can make me another. But for now…I'd rather you didn't get my hopes up. I'll find something in town in the meantime."

It was Zaveid's turn to frown. He was quiet for a second, but then nodded.

"Ok. I'll tell her after breakfast. She's sleeping right now. She said she'd be down later."

Sorey hummed quietly to himself in response. What if Lailah really was able to fix Mikleo's cloak?

_He probably just doesn't want to get his hopes up, in case it really is unsalvageable,_ Sorey thought to himself. He knew what he needed to do, though, in order to be a good support.

"Well," he said with a smile at his boyfriend. "Maybe she can fix it. Lailah's talented in a lot of different areas. But if not, I'm sure Tolrin has something that will make you look and feel just as fantastic as the cloak." He wanted to add in the fact that Mikleo would look good in just about anything, no matter what he chose to wear, but didn't want to get Zaveid riled up with the perverted comments. He never could tell when the seraph would start in with his raunchy jokes, and he felt like now wasn't the time for that.

"Anyway. Let's eat!" he said, casually taking a seat at the table where Edna and Zaveid had been waiting. "We'll go get Lailah later on."

They all sat down to eat. And with Sorey ordering for them and with them all chatting casually, things started to feel normal again. And when the food came, it was even more normal still. Mikleo was put at ease, and he was eager to forget the previous day. It was easy to do so in such good company, and with Zaveid spouting perverted comments and jokes, and with Edna kicking his shin from under the table, it felt good to focus on his friends. Eating their food, and laughing with one another, he felt the stress and pain from the attack start to fade.

Eventually, Lailah joined them. Awake, but looking tired, she had Sorey order her food for her. And no one minded much when they had to wait around for her to finish. They were all fairly happy just to be together in a familiar setting once again. And with Lailah seated around the table with them, their team felt complete and whole.

But of course, after a while, and after all the food was done, they had to get down to business. No matter what may have taken place the day before, they had responsibilities as the shepherd and his party, and they already felt like they were behind on schedule since the attack yesterday and date day the day before.

"So then we already have half of our battle with Heldalf planned out," Mikleo was saying to the party. "We know how to defeat him. The issue now is what we're going to do about Maotelus. And of course, we still don't know where Heldalf is located."

"His location should be easy enough to figure out," Zaveid said, his arms crossed on top of his dark chest. "This is…or was, his home town after all. I know you geeks like the history books and think they have all the answers, but I'm betting if we just asked around town the old fashioned way, we'd get what we needed."

"I'm inclined to agree," Lailah said. "If anyone anywhere would know about him, it would be the remaining connections he has in Tolrin. Even if everyone he knew is dead, since he's now immortal, I bet descendants of descendants would know something."

"That sounds like a decent plan," Mikleo agreed. And then, like always, he turned to look to Sorey.

"What do you think Sorey? Any ideas on what to do about Maotelus? And do you like Zaveid's plan of asking around town?"

Well, Sorey definitely had an idea about Maotelus. At least, the beginnings of his plan were solid in his mind. But this was not the time nor the place to be talking about it. As such, he made the deliberate decision to not divulge what he was thinking. He needed to speak to Mikleo in private before anything else. His love deserved that. After all...it was a big risk, and he didn't even know if it was possible or not. For all he knew, he was grasping at straws, and his efforts would be pointless. And more than that, the shepherd knew it wouldn't be easy to talk about. It wasn't even easy to _think_ about. So now definitely wasn't the time. Not when Mikleo had just been through such a horrendous ordeal the night before. Not when he was trying to recover.

Sorey knew the time for their talk would come. But for now, they could at least do as Zaveid suggested, and ask around town for more information.

"I haven't come up with anything solid yet about Maotelus," he lied, "But I do think we should ask around town. It's a solid plan, and I know you guys aren't crazy about the library like me and Mikleo," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head in an awkward, embarrassed way. They were always teasing him about being a nerd, and well, he knew it was true.

"Besides, I feel like it can't hurt to try things your way. We might find out what we need faster than delving into the books anyway. And time is of the essence."

Sorey had always been a terrible liar. In fact, he couldn't remember if he had actually ever attempted to legitimately lie before for that reason. On the very rare occasion that he did, the lie was always obvious, and blinding, like a flashing beacon. It always pointed out how truly pure and innocent the shepherd was.

But this time…Sorey's lie slipped out of his lips like butter. It was so smooth and so seamless that no one noticed. Not even Mikleo. And Sorey watched almost in awe as his boyfriend, the human lie detector, turned and started chatting with Zaveid on how he thought they should start the search. It flabbergasted him how easily it had come out of him. But then again…he knew the reason behind his success:

He'd needed to keep Mikleo safe. He'd needed to protect him. And he certainly couldn't hurt him. At least not right now. Not when it'd only been a few hours after he'd healed himself from Lunarre and Symonne's vicious attack. Not when his heart was still wounded from meeting and them immediately losing Nadia, a fellow water seraphim.

No…Sorey knew he'd need to pick both the time and place to divulge his plans to his love carefully. It would be difficult no matter when it was done, but at the very least, he could wait until they were alone.

After they all finished their meal and after they'd decided on a course of action, they all got up and left The Water Crest Inn. Stepping out into the sunlight and onto the cobblestone street, they all for once, followed Zaveid's lead.

"I read up on a bunch of names and addresses of people who might be related to Heldalf, or used to be friends with him the day before in the library," he said. "I wrote down a few, maybe they can help us." Pulling a list out of his pocket, he lead the team down the street. And eventually, they came to a person's home.

After knocking, and after the man opened the door, Sorey politely (with a water seraph hissing in his ear about manners) explained who he was. Because he was the shepherd, the man was happy to trust him and invite him inside. Only able to see Sorey and no one else, he offered him a seat. The other's lounged around, or looked at the items in the man's home. But after only a moment it became clear that the man had no idea who Heldalf was. He was unable to help them, and so they quickly said their goodbye's and left.

The team tried the next house. And then the next. But became aware quickly that their plan might have been more difficult to execute than they would have thought. Heldalf was thousands of years old. And as such, no one left alive remembered him or even knew they were related to him. But funnily enough, they started to get useful information not from the people they were interviewing, but the people who overheard.

Sorey had been talking to one of the street vendors when his wife approached them and said she'd heard from travelers that there was a ton of strange things going on at Mt.Mabinogio.

"Mt.Mabinogio?" Sorey questioned. "That's the mountain Elysia's on top of. That's our home!"

"I'm not sure of any Elysia," the woman said. "But I heard people who were traveling through the forest at the base of the mountain were running into monsters and ghosts. It's become so dangerous that no one can pass through. Not a single soul has been able to get more than five feet into those woods. I've heard that some people have even died!"

Mikleo immediately reached out a hand, placing it on Sorey's shoulder. And when Sorey turned to look at him, he'd see the anxiety on the water seraph's face.

"That entire area should be under Gramp's protection," he reminded. "With his blessing and with as powerful as he is, no hellions should be able to enter."

And suddenly, it no longer mattered if the strange occurrences had anything to do with Heldalf's location or not. It was clear they needed to go home. They had to make sure their loved ones and their home village were safe before they did anything else.

"We have to go," Sorey said so softly, Lailah and the others weren't sure they'd heard. But Mikleo would've. A little louder, he continued. "Heldalf...probably went looking for me," he stated, doing everything he could to push back that little welt of worry that threatened to spill over and make him lose his calm.

He knew whatever was happening wasn't good. "The only thing we can hope for is that everyone's alright," he stated, squaring his shoulders and standing up straight. He and Mikleo had a responsibility to their family, to their village, to make sure they were ok. And so he knew leaving Tolrin and making the journey home was their top priority.

He turned to face the others. "We have to go," he said again, looking immediately to Lailah, who looked nearly as worried as both himself and Mikleo. "If something happened to Elysia..." But there was no need to finish his sentence. He was sure the others already knew.


	23. Chapter 23: Elysia

Games » Tales of Zestiria » When Lightning Strikes the Water  
Author: Spotofpaint «  
Rated: T - English - Romance/General - Reviews: 35 - Published: 01-29-16 - Updated: 09-22-16 id:11760231

  
** Chapter 23 **

Elysia

The group went back to the inn, packed their bags, and left immediately. After consulting a few maps, they were pleased to see that they weren't quite as far away as they'd previously feared. Their travels and their journey had taken them all over the map and they'd been going from place to place over the course of several months. They'd gone where they had been needed, and as such, hadn't traveled in a straight line. Because of this, they discovered that Tolrin was on the opposite side of Mt Mabinogio. They'd essentially traveled across the entire continent in a huge circle, coming back up and around their home. As such, it looked like they would be able to reach Elysia in a matter of only a day or two.

They traveled quickly and in silence. Knowing better than to run, for they didn't want to tire themselves out, they still found themselves hustling in a speed-walk type of way. Taking the path through the forest, they headed northwest. They were making good time, even with a human who tired more easily than his seraph companions. After all, even with Sorey's unique handicap, he had more than enough willpower to muscle through. This was his home. And he wasn't going to slow down because he was a little weary.

By the time the sun set and they had to make up camp, they'd cut their journey nearly in half. They were nearly there at the base of the mountain and would be able to go up it the next day.

Spending the night outdoors and setting up camp was just as silent as their travels had been. Everyone was anxious and everyone was scared. No one knew what to expect the next day. And no one knew what kind of condition Elysia was in. No one made jokes around the fire as they ate what they'd packed. And a certain wind seraph didn't hit on a certain fire seraph. And a certain earth seraph didn't jab her umbrella into a certain water seraph. And after they'd eaten in silence, they cleaned up in silence too. Then, mumbling their goodnights, they went to bed.

That evening, Mikleo and Sorey held on to one another in the dark, their little tent shielding them from the world outside. And with the anxiety and dread they were feeling, neither fell asleep for hours. Feeling the other's heart beating as fast as it was in their chests didn't help matters, and knowing how afraid they really were only made things worse. But of course, eventually, with Sorey being human, he lulled off into a fitful sleep first. And once he drifted off and Mikleo felt his heart start to slow, and heard his breathing come more evenly, he followed suit shortly after. Even as frightened as he was…knowing Sorey was safe made him feel safe too.

The next day, in the morning light, the team marched their way into the forest at the base of the mountain. What the sales woman had said was true, and it was crawling with hellions. The hellions were no push over's either: they were large, and teeming with malevolence. As such, Sorey and his team spent plenty of energy taking them down. One by one they fell, and using the fire in their hearts as a weapon, they plunged through.

Seeing hellions where they didn't belong only served to heighten their worries. And they had long ago passed the place where they knew Gramp's barrier should have been. But still no one said a word as they fought. No one wanted to be the first to admit to anything.

But then, suddenly, halfway up the mountain and to everyone's shock, all the hellions vanished as they passed through a blessed barrier and into what was clearly a powerful seraph's domain. Edna, Zaveid, and Lailah all lifted their heads and looked around as they sensed it for the first time, but for Sorey and Mikleo, it was a feeling of coming home. The clean, clear smell was the same as it always had been all their lives. And the cool feel of holy air against their skin made them feel alight.

"Gramps!" They said in unison as they turned to each other. And just like that, all the fear and worry they'd been feeling vanished. Although his domain was clearly smaller than before, it was still there, which meant their grandfather was alive and well enough to produce a barrier. Not far from Elysia, the pair suddenly turned and started to run up the rest of the mountain.

"Hey! Wait up you guys!" Zaveid cried after them. Quickly, their remaining party members had to scramble to catch up.

Breaking through the trees, Sorey and Mikleo were greeted by the lovely sight of their home. And although they were used to it, the vision of it was still breathtaking after having been away for so long. On top of the mountain's peak, grass as green as Sorey's eyes grew. The sky was as blue as a robin's egg. And because they were so high up, the clouds that were scattered just beneath them were white and looked as soft as cotton. A gentle breeze ran through their hair, and the sun smiled down on them. The grass rippled as the wind moved through it, and it shimmered under the sun's yellow beams. The huge archway that represented the start of their village stood tall and untouched and everything appeared as it should.

Simply seeing Elysia and feeling the blessed domain and taking in the scent of the air and grass was enough to make Mikleo feel safe and carefree. And since it was where he had always been as a child, it was also easy to feel a little younger than he was. Obeying his instincts, he let out a laugh. Then, reaching out his hand, he grabbed onto Sorey's beside him.

"Come on Sorey!" And with that, he took off running through the grass, eager to move so easily through the fields.

Between the feeling of Mikleo's hand clasping his, and the presence of Gramp's domain, Sorey's spirits were tremendously relieved. It didn't matter how tired he was: now that they were there, right on the brink of their home town, Sorey felt like it was impossible to not let a sliver of his childhood shine through right at that moment. As such, he was more than happy to run along with Mikleo, a grin spreading across his face as they moved across the green, green grass over the hills he knew better than the backs of his own hands. Maybe things were alright. Maybe Gramps had been able to stave off the hellions, and he'd been worried about nothing.

The pair ran all the way up the hill and in through the archway. And once inside the borders of Elysia, they found that all the little stone houses stood where they always had. Everything appeared as it should. But even as they were taking in the sight, the other seraphs who lived in the village noticed that they'd entered. Several faces turned their way, and very quickly their family members started to rush over to them, their faces lighting up with delight.

"Sorey! Mikleo!" They cried. And within only a moment, they were surrounding them. Reaching out, one of the seraphim clapped Mikleo on his shoulder, while another roughed up Sorey's hair.

"Welcome back!"

"You two look good!"

"Have you traveled far?"

"Sorey, you must be tired and hungry. Do you need me to get you some food?"

"Mikleo, where's your cloak?"

Sorey and Mikleo grinned, color and joy coming to their faces. Everyone appeared well, and it felt so nice to have such a warm reception.

"We're fine," Sorey said. "But what about Gramps? We noticed his domain was smaller and there're hellions at the border."

"He's ok," someone quickly answered, and it was the speed in which she answered and the frown that overcame her face that let Mikleo and Sorey know something had indeed happened while they were gone. Sorey and Mikleo didn't even need to ask, for seraph Natalie continued. "Yesterday a girl walked into town who looked exactly like you Sorey. She was a seraphim, so none of us sensed anything strange and the barrier didn't keep her out. We all thought you'd returned home…"

"Although we should have known better, since Mikleo wasn't at your side!" Someone in the crowd called. Several chuckles arose from the crowd.

"But anyway," Natalie said. "We sent her straight to grandpa. She of course had the advantage of surprise, and she attacked him. She injured him pretty badly, but you know how powerful he is, he banished her within only a few seconds after he discovered she was a fake."

It was Mikleo that suddenly interrupted,

"Is he ok?" And the look on his face would have let them all know how worried he was.

Natalie nodded, "Yes. He's fine. He needs some time to recover. The girl laces her attacks with malevolence somehow and so we can't heal him right away."

"I'm familiar with that…" Mikleo mumbled.

"It's because of his injuries that the barrier is smaller than usual. He has to conserve some energy for healing. But he says he should be fine in another day or so. Then the barrier will be back to normal."

Sorey and Mikleo glanced at each other. It sounded almost exactly what Symonne had tried to do with Mikleo only two days before. Facing the crowd, Mikleo addressed them.

"It's great being home, and we love seeing all of you, but we have to go see Gramps, you understand?"

The others only smiled.

"Of course we do," they said. And Mikleo and Sorey were about to turn and head toward his house when an irate voice lifted up from the archway.

"Excuse me!" Edna cried. "How rude can you be?! At least introduce us!"

Everyone turned. And of course, standing there just under the archway was Lailah, Zaveid, and Edna. Edna was looking _quite_ cross, her arms crossed over her chest. Lailah was standing, smiling politely, her hands folded in front of her dress and Zaveid, as soon as he saw several female seraphim in the crowd, put one hand on his hip and the other to the tip of his hat. He flashed his white teeth their way.

"Why hello there ladies," he crooned.

"Ugh…" Mikleo groaned. "Can you please not do that Zaveid, these are our family members!"

"So? They aren't related to _me."_

Sorey laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he realized their mistake. He wasn't as perturbed, however, as Mikleo was with Zaveid's flirting. It was to be expected and if anything, Sorey was actually a little relieved to have someone lighten the mood. He'd been so worried about Gramps. Symonne had done the same thing to him as she had to Mikleo...even transforming into Sorey to dupe everyone. It would be easiest to just not think about that right at that particular moment, and go through with some pleasantries and introduce everyone to each other.

"Sorry guys! Everyone, these are my friends and teammates. Zaveid, an air seraph, Edna, an earth seraph, and our Prime Lord Lailah, a fire seraph," he said, gesturing to each of his friends as they went. "And this," Sorey gestured wildly, "are mine and Mikleo's family. They've had to put up with me since I was little," he said, green eyes starting to twinkle. His response earned a few laughs from some of the older seraphim. One even rolled his eyes in agreement.

Zaveid moseyed into the crowd, looking as suave as possible.

"Hello," he said as he approached the nearest woman. "Why hello there." Reaching out, he took her hand. Then he lifted it to his lips. "Would you like to hear an erotic poem?"

"Zaveid!" Mikleo snarled. But the seraph Zaveid was flirting with didn't seem to mind. In fact, she lifted a hand to her chest and seemed to almost swoon.

"You've made some, ah…exotic friends Sorey!" she said merrily, her cheeks pinkening. Mikleo sighed heavily, appearing quite exasperated. Turning away from the scene, he instead looked out and toward their grandfather's house.

"You can stay out here and flirt if you want, but I want to go and see Gramps," he said. Then quickly, he started off toward the house without waiting for the others.

Sorey chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. He knew better than to not follow Mikleo. If the water seraph was going to see him, then Sorey needed to follow suit. Still, he felt like he had to say something to Zaveid. These were his family members, after all.

"You behave, Zaveid! Lailah, Edna, I know everyone will treat you well. Mikleo and I will be back soon!" And with a smile and a wave, Sorey turned and quickly jogged through the sweet-smelling grass to catch up with his boyfriend, who was still moving briskly towards Gramps's house.

"Whew! I caught up," he said, smiling at the seraph, before his gaze turned more serious. "I hope...I hope Gramps is alright," the shepherd said, clenching a fist at his side. "I know he's powerful and he's, well...Gramps, but I'm worried." he said, his gaze darting to look at Mikleo's fair face as they moved. "To think that she'd disguise herself as me..." he said, his green eyes narrowed with discomfort. It was beyond disturbing. At least...at least everyone was alright. No one got eaten... Like Maison had.

"Well, it stands to reason that Symonne would use the same trick for as long as it continues to work for her," Mikleo said as Sorey fell in step beside him. "I still feel incredibly foolish for having fallen for it. But I hate that she used it to hurt Gramps even more." He glanced from Sorey to Gramps house. "I'm sure Gramps is fine. His domain is intact after all. What we really need…is some sort of test to determine if Symonne is using one of her tricks again."

Mikleo glanced side-long at his boyfriend, and then a sly, mischievous grin stretched over his face. "Like asking you to cook something. If it comes out as anything other than black stuff, we know it's a fake."

Sorey started.

"H-hey!" he protested, sticking his lower lip out as he pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I've been doing a lot better at that lately!" the shepherd defended, cheeks pinkening as the embarrassment took over. "The last time I tried cooking, the end result wasn't black!" he stated, looking towards his boyfriend. "I mean, green is a little better than black, isn't it?" he asked, mumbling more to himself than to Mikleo.

Mikleo couldn't help himself, he lifted a hand to his mouth as he stifled a chuckle.

"I might not die if I eat your cooking Sorey, but don't ever try feeding it to a human, ok?"

Before Sorey could protest any further, the two reached their grandfather's house. They didn't stop at the door or knock. They never had. Having grown up together, they had always come and gone as they pleased. Grandpa's house was always open to all and he welcomed everyone in the village. As such, they stepped right in.

Inside, it appeared the same as when they had left many months ago. The spacious, circular room had warm, wooden floors, and a fire burning in its center. The walls were lined with bookshelves and Grandpa had more books than some of the human library's Sorey and Mikleo had been visiting throughout their journey. They'd grown up reading everything they could get their hands on, and so, Gramps had always ensured to get new materials for them as often as possible.

There was one big difference however: Grandpa wasn't seated on the carpeted area in front of the hearth. It was the usual place Sorey and Mikleo found him. He was always working on some project and he was pretty big into carpentry. And if he wasn't carving something he was usually reading. After all, Sorey and Mikleo got their thirst for knowledge from him.

Looking around, and not seeing him, made both boys feel a bit hesitant. It was strange for him to not be in the main room. And since seraphim didn't have bathroom needs, it meant there was only one other room to the house: the bedroom. And that of course meant that their grandfather was resting in bed.

"Gramps?" Mikleo called out, sounding unsure of himself. But as soon as he did, an old voice rose up from the back bedroom.

"Boys?" And only a second later, the curtain was pulled back and their grandpa was revealed to them. He had a small, square, bandage taped to his forehead, and one of his arms was in a sling, but other than this, he looked the same as always. He had the same huge, bushy, gray eyebrows, the same pointed beard, and the same aura of warmth and love around him. And as soon as he saw his two boys, he rushed forward to meet them. And of course, when Sorey and Mikleo saw him, they rushed forward in turn.

"Gramps!" Running to meet each other, the three came together in the center of the room. All three outstretched their arms, and a second later they embraced. Hugging, and holding on tight for just a few seconds, they took in one another's presence. It felt so good to be home. And Mikleo had always loved the static charge and feel of ozone that he got when around his grandfather. As a lightning seraph, Gramps had always exuded such an aura.

"Welcome home boys," Gramps said to them. "I'd hoped you were safe on your journey."

Pulling back, they all took in the sight of each other. And of course, as they did, Gramps focused on something quite obvious.

"Mikleo, where's your cloak?"

Immediately, embarrassment overtook Mikleo. And even though he knew it wasn't his fault, he felt as if he were somehow in trouble for not taking care of his things.

"I uh…I…th-there was an accident, Gramps. It…got damaged."

A short silence passed between them. And even in that few seconds, Mikleo saw on his grandfather's face that somehow, he understood. He was old and wise, and Mikleo had always had the sense that he'd lived through a lot of things that he never explained to them. He'd always seemed worldly. And that experience and wisdom was showing now. Mikleo saw a type of sadness overcome him.

"I knew hardship would be a part of your experiences when you left Elysia. It had to be. It's simply part of living outside of the village, and it's part of what humans are. All the same, as your guardian, I wish you didn't have to endure it." Lifting his hand to his chin, Gramps stroked his beard. "Even so, I can see you're both not only baring it well, but you're growing because of it. You are not the same boys who left here a few months ago. You're immensely, almost unimaginably stronger in both body and spirit. Yet you've both kept your kind hearts…"

Joy started to emanate from the older seraph. "You've both made me so proud."

Gramp's words were so heartening that Sorey felt tears start to well up inside his eyes. He and Mikleo and the others had been so busy that he hadn't had a lot of time to really miss Elysia, but now that he was back in their village, the youth realized how much he'd really missed being home. And, moreover, how much he'd missed the elder seraph.

"Gramps..." he said, his still-innocent face lighting up with the compliments. "I'm so glad, that I could make you proud," the brunet said, all smiles for his caretaker. "Parts of the journey have definitely been hard, and it's been incredible seeing the world..." Sorey paused, his expression softening. "But it sure is nice to be home. I just wish...you weren't hurt," he said, his green eyes filled with concern. He was sure Mikleo was right and that their Gramps would be okay in just a couple of days, but the gentle shepherd still hated to see someone he loved so much, be in any sort of pain.

_I wonder...I wonder how, and when, we can tell him about us,_ Sorey thought, looking to the water seraph next to him. He knew there were more pressing things to talk about, but Sorey couldn't wait to tell him about that development either. He knew Gramps would be happy for them...right?

Grandpa chuckled.

"I'll be just fine Sorey," he said. "I am a seraphim after all. It's nice to see you're still a little naïve and innocent, despite all you must have gone through."

And before Sorey could object, or appear too embarrassed, it was Mikleo who let off a scoff as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You can say that again," he concurred. "He might have become a force to be reckoned with, and a brilliant shepherd, but he's still a total doofus. And that'll never change."

"Hey!" Sorey cried indignantly. But Gramps didn't give a second to the poor brunet to defend himself, for instead he turned to Mikleo.

"And you, Mikleo, I'm sure, are the reason he's still maintaining his nativity? You've ensured with all your might that he remains a doofus, have you?"

A quick, hot, blush, overtook Mikleo's pale cheeks as he quickly glanced off and to the side. Holding his chin high with as much dignity as he could maintain, he gave a quick sharp nod in response. Gramps chuckled all over again, clearly overjoyed at the state his boys were in. It was easy to see that they weren't just whole and healthy, but they were happy and had grown considerably both inside and out. They felt a lot more adult to him. And although that always made any parent feel a little bitter sweet, there was also nothing a parent wanted more.

Sorey couldn't help it: he started chuckling a little when he saw Mikleo blush at Gramp's teasing. He at least put a hand up to his mouth to mask it, but the glee was evident in his leaf-green eyes, which shined with mirth.

All the same, he was sure to stick up for Mikleo once he'd found his voice.

"Mikleo's the reason I've made it as far as I have," he admitted openly. "He's taken great care of me, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," Sorey said, sending a fond look over towards his boyfriend. "So, please don't tease him too much!" he said to Gramps, his green eyes still filled with humor. "I'm glad I'm still a 'doofus."

Grandpa smiled, and for a second, a warm, comforting silence passed between the family members. But then, of course, it was always Mikleo that put everything back on track.

"Gramps," he said. "We have a lot to talk about. Sorey, the others and myself all rushed back here to see if you and Elysia were ok because we heard from someone in Tolrin that there were hellions at the base of the mountain. And then when we arrived here, Natalie told us that Symonne made it into the village by passing herself off as Sorey. We've been hunting Heldalf, and we know she's connected to him. Did you happen to know where she went after she left the village, or why it was she came in the first place?"

"Why she came is an easy enough question for you to answer yourself Mikleo. You've always been a sharp seraph. The only reason you're asking is because you don't like the truth of it and you're hoping I'll tell you something differently."

Mikleo frowned deeply.

"She came to attack you and the village because her goal is to turn Sorey into a hellion, thus dooming the world. And of course, you and the village are so important to him that if anything ever happened…"

"Yes," Gramps confirmed. "And I'm assuming she went after you in a similar fashion and not too long ago? I can feel her essence lingering on you."

Mikleo lifted his hands to his bare arms and lightly hugged himself as if he could brush off the energies grandpa spoke of. Hearing of it made him feel a little corrupted. Gramps frowned, not liking the look that had just come over Mikleo's face. But just after his frown formed, a smile followed.

"She went after you because she knows how incredibly important you are to Sorey," he said. "And she must have failed, or she never would have become desperate enough to come here instead. Myself and the village are only second place it would seem, which wasn't the case a few months ago when you two left. Which would mean…"

And a knowing twinkle entered his wrinkled eyes then, but as seemed to be his way, Gramps didn't say anything directly. He'd always avoided such things because he wanted very much for the boys to pick their own path and figure things out for themselves. He'd never wanted to steer them in one direction or another or ever make them feel pressured in any way. And so he'd hoped that one day they would voice things for themselves. He knew, especially for Mikleo, a water seraph, that saying things out loud and directly was hard. Water seraph's had such an indirect nature about them. And so, even though Mikleo's suddenly embarrassed expression gave it all away, Gramps still turned to look to Sorey instead.

Sorey didn't always pick up on the subtleties of conversations, but he knew what Gramps was asking. Or, rather, what he was stating. Mikleo's blush spoke volumes about it already, but Sorey had no issues voicing what their caretaker wanted to hear,

"Yes," the brunet started. "Mikleo and I are a couple now," he admitted. "We...figured a few things out about our relationship on the journey. Although Mikleo figured it out before I did," he admitted, blushing and rubbing his hair, feeling embarrassed. "I understood things eventually though," he said, smiling brilliantly at both his boyfriend and at Gramps.

It went without saying, because Sorey always knew their foster parent would be supportive about it, but the shepherd could tell the older seraph was happy for the two of them. And that meant a lot to the green-eyed youth. He didn't know it, but...not everyone had family and a community that would be as supportive of the two of them being together in a romantic way. That didn't, however, mean that Sorey wasn't grateful, because he was. Gramp's approval was wonderful, and he loved the warmth that emanated from the lightning seraph. Even with all of the more difficult things they had to talk about, Sorey felt that kindness and warm energy seeping into his bones. It really was good to be home.

"In any case...yes, she did go after Mikleo," the shepherd said, face turning sorrowful. "She'd disguised herself as Edna, one of our companions. I..." And Sorey suddenly fell silent, his fists clenching to his side, and he suddenly couldn't look at Gramps anymore.

"...She almost succeeded," he admitted, feeling more guilty than he ever had before. And he took a breath, and looked up at the ceiling. "I...I'm so sorry she came after you too Gramps." And it would be easy for the older seraph to see just how pained Sorey truly was. He kept up a cheerful face, but Sorey felt terribly guilty that he was being used to hurt the people he cared about the most. That was probably another part of Symonne's plan, but...he felt the guilt all the same.

Mikleo looked to his boyfriend's face, always hating to see or hear any sadness in him.

"Sorey…" he said softly. Then, stepping closer to him, he extended his arm and took his hand gently in his to offer support. And when Gramps saw it, despite the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't hide the warmth that filled him.

He'd known how the boys felt about one another for many years now. He'd seen it in them even back when they were children. And after so many years of watching them struggle with it, it was wonderful to finally see it uncovered and out in the open. Love was such a wonderful thing, and he firmly believed that in order for it to reach its full potential, and be as powerful as it was meant to be, it needed to be unbridled, and worn proudly for all to see. It couldn't be hindered in anyway, or it would do no good. They were finally doing that, and he knew it would be the source of their greatest strength.

"It is a human's nature to feel guilty about things, even when there is no need," Gramps said. "Do not stifle your emotions Sorey. They are a huge part of being mortal. The best way to avoid malevolence is to admit to your emotions. Don't try to deny them or bottle them up. Feel them, work through them, and become stronger because of them. The trick is to not allow them to consume you. You need to find that balance in order to become a powerful shepherd."

"Admit them?" Sorey asked, looking confused. But he contemplated over the elder seraph's advice. It made sense. Stifling things certainly never helped. But the idea of allowing himself to feel certain things was, well, terrifying. He hadn't liked the anger that had filled him when Symonne had attacked and hurt Mikleo. Would it really be possible for him to feel things like that, and not be overcome by them? How did someone do that, exactly?

After a moment of silent contemplation, Sorey hummed in agreement, nodding his head in affirmation. He also gave Mikleo's hand a grateful squeeze, looking to the aquamarine-haired beauty in gratitude, before addressing Gramps.

"And a balance it's going to have to be," he admitted. "I'll work on it," he said, as earnest and as determined as always. "Thanks, Gramps," he said, offering the tiny man a smile. If the elder thought he could do it, then...with Mikleo's support, he could. He had to learn, or else Symonne might find a way to manipulate him again. And that just couldn't happen.

Grandpa gave a nod, and when another lull came into the conversation, Mikleo once again looked to his grandfather.

"Gramps, about Heldalf's location…"

"There'll be time for that later Mikleo," Gramps interrupted. "For now, I think we all need to celebrate your return to Elysia. And we need to celebrate Sorey's union to you. And I think it's also about time that you introduced me to your traveling companions, no? How much longer do you plan on being so rude?"

"R-rude? Me?!" And Mikleo seemed absolutely horrified by the idea, as of course, Gramps knew he would be. And a bright pink blush overtook his features as his grandfather used the word 'union.' It was the perfect word, and Mikleo found himself not only loving it, but repeating it in his mind,

_Union…_ he thought. And in hearing the word in his own thoughts, made him feel wistful and dreamy. _Unified with Sorey…_

Sorey had his own rosy glow at the mention of their union. He was, however, aware of how sly Gramps was being. He knew exactly what to say to get Mikleo derailed and stop his protesting. As much as the shepherd would love to stay and daydream about his and Mikleo's new status, and the fact that Gramps wanted to celebrate it, the brunet knew that the elder seraph was right: they needed to introduce him properly to Lailah and the others. And so, he reached down and took Mikleo's hand in his own again, and smiled at his boyfriend.

"Come on. Let's go take Gramps to see our friends," he said, looking much relieved now that he knew their family member was alright - and also now that they'd talked about Symonne. It was a good time to go find the others. "And...let's also make sure Zaveid is behaving like he should," Sorey said, sounding a little worried. "Our wind seraph companion is, um, quite interested in women," he exclaimed, his green eyes darting down towards their Gramps.

Gramps only smiled, almost knowingly, and as Sorey led the way, he was more than happy to follow his boys outside to meet the rest of their companions. Once the three stepped outside, the rest of the village wasn't far off. Sorey's traveling companions had made quite an impression, but also knowing that gramps was speaking to Sorey and Mikleo about their adventures was also exciting, and so most of the group was eagerly awaiting them as they exited. And once the three exited, they were greeted by the same sight as when they'd left: the seraph villagers surrounding Edna, Zaveid, and Lailah.

"Tell us more about the desert!" someone shouted.

"Were there lots of hellions there?"

"How is it that you fight alongside Sorey again?"

"Lailah, can you teach me some more fire artes?"

Zaveid at least looked like he was eating up the attention. Lailah was much more poised and dignified, while Edna appeared downright miserable. But all of the chattering stopped once grandpa emerged.

"Zenrus," one of the villagers greeted. "How're you feeling? You look better."

"I _am_ better, Rin, thank you. And how couldn't I be, with the boys back home?"

Rin smiled, and it was clear from his smile alone that everyone knew how much Zenrus really loved Mikleo and Sorey.

"Now, everyone stand aside please," Gramps said. "I need to see what kind of company my boys have been keeping."

Everyone fell silent and parted as requested, leaving a nice open path for grandpa. He moved forward on his wooden shoes through the grass and over to the three seraphim that were new to his village. Then, standing before them, his height came up to just beneath Edna's as he started to take them all in.

All three seraphim: Lailah, Edna and even Zaveid fell still and silent. They could sense how old Mikleo and Sorey's grandpa really was. And although he wasn't nearly as old as Nadia had been, he was still far greater in age than any of them, and that warranted respect.

It was funny, seeing Zaveid be quiet and respectable for once, Sorey thought. He'd always thought that Gramps had an effect on other people, but it was fascinating to see his traveling companions act like...like his grandpa was something of a big deal. Of course he was. Sorey knew that much, at least. He was old, and powerful; the young shepherd wasn't sure how old the lightning seraph actually was, but he had to be much older than even Lailah, and Sorey felt like she'd been around for quite some time.

"Gramps, these are our companions, and our friends," Sorey said, smiling reassuringly at his friends. He motioned towards Lailah first, who greeted the shorter seraph with a polite bow, keeping her sea-green eyes focused on Zenrus's face.

"This is Lailah. She's the Prime Lord, also known as the Lady of the Lake," he explained. "She's the first seraph that I met in the outside world," he added, feeling like he needed to give at least a little bit of explanation. "And this is Edna," he said, motioning over towards the little sassy blond. The earth seraph for once didn't say anything sassy, just held her head up a little higher and met Gramp's eyes, affecting a bored and nonchalant look as best as she could. Finally, he looked towards the taller, older wind seraph. "And this...is Zaveid," he said with a chuckle.

"Yo!" the long-haired seraph said, grinning at the older seraph. "These kids talk about you all the time," he divulged. "It's nice to finally meet this 'Gramps' Sorey's always talking about," he said, feeling more sociable and easy-going than Edna. "Thanks for the hospitality. You have a _lovely_ village here," he said, before sneaking a glance over at one of the lady seraph's he'd been flirting with earlier. The implication was clear: he didn't just mean the village was pretty. "We're all honored to be here. And glad everyone's safe."

And that much was true. Everyone, even Edna, had been worried about Elysia, and not just because it was a village important to both Sorey and Mikleo. The others...they didn't have villages. Edna, before she'd joined the group, had spent hundreds of years alone and isolated in the mountains, watching over her brother Eizen as he'd terrorized the area in his dragon form. Once every now and then, Zaveid had shown up, and that was about as much social interaction as the bitter blonde had gotten for quite some time.

Lailah, herself, had been isolated inside the temple, waiting for someone to come claim the Shepherd's sword, for hundreds of years. No one had ever been able to see her, much less talk to her. Although people had been around her, she'd been completely alone. And of course, Zaveid was something of a wandering vagabond. He moved around and talked to a lot of people, but never had an actual home or people to belong to. So, the idea of having a whole village of nothing but seraphs was incredible and a little foreign to the other seraphs on Sorey's team. And each had wanted to see this place with their own eyes, and uncover some little truths about what life growing up must've been like for Sorey and Mikleo.

Edna, in particular, felt bitter about it. She'd thought it before, but the two of them were awfully lucky to have family like this. It really made her miss Eizen. And so, she stayed quiet, and let loudmouthed Zaveid do most of the talking.

As Zaveid talked, his words seemed to blow by just over Zenrus's head, seeming very ineffective and unimportant. And they were: for even as Zaveid chattered on, Zenrus was taking in the three before him. And after only a few seconds, he'd sensed enough to be pleased.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less. My boys know how to find good seraphs for company. And although the three of you certainly have your uh… _quirks_ …I can tell how well you must work together as a team. You're all different enough and honed enough to make a well-rounded group."

Zenrus smiled at them.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. Fellow seraphim are always welcome in Elysia. Make yourselves at home…"

But Zenrus's voice trailed off when he spotted Zaveid leaning in toward one of the younger girls they had in their family.

"But not _too_ much at home!" he chastised. And this time instead of Mikleo disciplining Zaveid, it was actually Lailah. Deep frown on her face, she barked,

"Zaveid! Show some respect!"

"Yeah," Edna second. "Even if you don't have any, you could at least pretend like you do…"

Sorey winced in sympathy for Zaveid. Even if he was glad Gramps and Lailah were chastising the wind seraph for his flirtatious behavior with their family members, the green-eyed teen knew it wasn't fun to be on the receiving end of Gramp's special glare. It could make anybody want to shrivel up and hide.

"Ahah, well...I'm glad everyone's getting along," the shepherd said amicably, doing his best to ignore the traces of irritation that floated around everyone. He reached down and grabbed Mikleo's hand. "It's good to be back, huh?" he asked, flashing his boyfriend a happy, pleased smile.

There was something about being back in their little village that made Sorey feel more at ease, despite the difficulties he, Mikleo, and the others faced. It felt good to be around familiar people, and familiar sights and sounds. Their little home was safe and secure, thanks to Gramp's protective domain, and the young shepherd felt like they could relax a little, even if just for an evening. And he felt like everyone really needed it. Plus...he really wanted to do something nice and quiet with Mikleo. Maybe look at the stars together, once they had some alone time, like they used to when they were younger. Of course...now things were different. And he had some things to talk to Mikleo about that...were going to be hard. But he wanted to absorb as much of this peace and happiness as they could, before they went searching for Heldalf.


	24. Chapter 24: The World's Hope

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Chapter 24

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The World's Hope

As the evening drew near, everyone was more than glad to be in the peaceful village on top the mountain. The air was clear and crisp, there wasn't a single scent of malevolence anywhere, and all the seraphim were surrounded by a holy cleanness that couldn't compare to anywhere else on earth. Elysia certainly was a special place and no one took it for granted.

Mikleo and Sorey showed their friends around town and that included giving them tours of their homes. Their traveling companions asked a lot of questions, some of which were embarrassing. They answered most, but not all. And a few things out of Zaveid's mouth earned him a hard whack on top of his head from Edna. But as the sun began to set, it was time to make dinner for Sorey.

"We haven't had any food in the village since you left," Gramps informed them, "we've had no need for it. So I hope this'll do."

There had been some left over crops, and the seraphim still took care of the gardens for the simple pleasure of the activity, and so there had been plenty of things to put into a stew. But no one had time to go hunting and so there was no protein source. Even so, Gramps stew was rich with potatoes, carrots, beans, and pasta. It was still a rich filling dish, and as always, Mikleo ate alongside Sorey.

While the pair were eating, it was Lailah that approached Zenrus.

"Excuse me sir, there's something I was hoping you could help me with."

"Sir?" Zenrus raised an old, bushy, eyebrow. "Please young lady, call me Zenrus."

"Ok, sir Zenrus." It just felt weird not to add the sir. He was so much older than her. Zenrus chuckled.

"What is it you needed Lailah?"

Lailah glanced over her shoulder to where Sorey and Mikleo were chatting with the others while eating their dinner. They appeared so happy and carefree to be back home. But even so, one look at them gave a bit of their troubles away: for Mikleo still looked strange without his cloak.

"Back here, if you would sir," Lailah requested, them gestured for him to follow her into the bedroom. The two disappeared behind the curtain and no one really thought much of it since Lailah was the prime lord. Everyone just assumed she was talking to Gramps about their journey.

Back in the bedroom, Lailah faced the older seraph, then, waving a hand, she called forth Mikleo's cloak. She'd been working on it feverishly for the past several days, ever since he'd been attacked. And really, it looked _very_ good. Back in Tolrin, she'd researched some new artes and had managed to find one that let her use her power as a seraphim to mend cloth. As such, there were no stitch marks to speak of, only smooth, perfect cloth. There was almost nothing at all to even show that it had been shredded to begin with. The only issues with it were very minor, and these mistakes were only there because Lailah couldn't remember how the cloak had looked originally to begin with.

"Mikleo shared the story with us about how you were the one to originally make this for him. He explained how special it was, how you'd given it to him as a coming of age gift. He was…terribly distraught when it was ruined. I've been working hard to piece it back together, but…I'm not sure how a few parts go. Would you help me?"

Zenrus could not hide the warm smile that came to his face as he looked at the cloak. It was already almost perfect. There were only a few things off. And with Lailah's newly learned arte, he knew they could fix it in a manner of minutes.

But what made him even happier and what really warmed him to his soul was Lailah's kindness. He could hear in her voice and tell from her few words that she really cared for his boys. She'd done her best by them to help them and protect them during their travels. And with a gesture such as this, it told him that she'd done her best to make them happy too.

"You are a wonderful prime lord," he said to her. "And I'm so glad Sorey met you. I wouldn't want them in any other seraphs hands." He lifted his gaze from the cloak to the fire seraph. "Thank you for watching over my boys."

Meanwhile, back in the main room, Sorey, Mikleo and the others were seated around the fire. And of course, they were all joking around.

"Yes you were!" Mikleo cried to Sorey as he elbowed him in the ribs. "You were! Just last night, you were mumbling in your sleep about cookies. Just admit you want me to make you some Sorey."

Sorey blushed, and crossed his arms over his chest, completely unaware of what Lailah and Gramps were talking about in the next room.

"N-no, I..." and the shepherd flushed even harder. "I...I wasn't...Was I? Talking about cookies..." And the brunet stuck his nose slightly up in the air and pretended to be offended by the suggestion. It lasted about two seconds, because then he dared to look at his boyfriend. Sheepishly, and with a slow smile that started at the very tips of his lips, but quickly spread across his cute face, Sorey admitted it.

"Maybe I would like some of your cookies," he confessed. "They're really good. Especially the vanilla kind with the chocolate chips," the young shepherd said, then smiled brightly at the water seraph. "Those are definitely my favorite. And might've been the ones I dreamt about last night."

He was aware he was admitting to the very thing he'd been adamantly denying only a few seconds ago, but that was part of their fun together. Sorey acted like he didn't like being teased, but he ate it up. It was just another form of affection from the water seraph, and where would they be if they didn't flirt with each other like this? It would be weird, that's what it would be, and Sorey was so happy to be home and sharing a meal with Mikleo and so happy that he was surrounded by everyone he cared about that admitting something embarrassing in front of everyone could hardly break his good mood. Besides, it wasn't like everyone there didn't already know he talked in his sleep sometimes. They all knew. And so Sorey ate up the attention and the affection, as pleased as he possibly could be, with their evening.

Lailah, meanwhile, had the proper amount of dignity and respect to politely bow at Zenrus, her sea-green eyes sparkling with gratitude at the older seraph's kind words.

"It's my pleasure and my honor to work with Sorey and Mikleo," she said, her long hair swishing as she righted herself. "They're two very special boys, and I couldn't be in better company. You've raised them well, sir Zenrus," she said, feeling such a sense of relief now that the two of them could work on Mikleo's cloak together. She wanted to return it to him as quickly as possible. She knew it would make the water seraph feel better to have his personal affects back to normal. And so, with that, the two seraphim began their work on repairing the beautiful cloak Gramps had made for Mikleo all those years ago.

It wasn't much later when the two older seraphim finished their work. And Sorey and Mikleo had just placed their empty bowls down on the floor when Lailah and Zenrus emerged from the back room. And as they did, there was a very familiar blue cloak resting folded up in Lailah's arms. When Mikleo looked up and spotted it, his lavender eyes widened. His face fell slack and he stared.

"Is…is that-?" But he couldn't finish, and really, he didn't have to. Both Lailah and Zenrus smiled. Mikleo got up and onto his feet. The room had fallen quiet as he walked over to his loved ones. Stopping in front of them, he gazed at the folded cloak before turning his eyes to Lailah.

"Did you…really fix it?"

Lailah's smile only grew, reaching her eyes. Joyfully she nodded.

"With a little help from your Gramps. I've been working on it for days, but I couldn't get it quite right without his help." Lifting the cloak by its shoulder's she let it fall open. Then, holding it up for him to see, she showed it off to him. "I hope it's still as special to you as it was before."

Mikleo stared at the garment. And as he did, his face tensed, and it was clear he was fighting a sudden wave of emotion. Daring not to let any tears enter his eyes, he remained dry.

"Thank you…" he said, his voice tight. "It's even more meaningful now. Now that it survived such an ordeal…and was mended by my friends and family." He gave pause. "Just like me…"

And that sentence threatened to choke Lailah who was still holding the garment out to him. Her turquoise eyes quivered.

Mikleo reached out his hands and took his cloak from her. For just a moment, he held it out in front of himself, amazed by the quality of it.

"It looks just as it did before. This is amazing Lailah."

Then, unable to keep it from himself, he unzipped the front and then twirled it back and over his shoulders. Slipping it on as he had so many times before, he fit into it like a glove. Zipping it back up, he immediately felt whole, and like himself, once more. Blue wings trailing down behind him, and collar up and around his neck, he felt his confidence rise. He hadn't even realized how vulnerable and naked he'd truly felt until now.

"Thank you," he said again. Then he came forward, and extended his arms to the fire seraph. The two embraced and Mikleo gave his prime lord a loving squeeze. "This means so much to me." After he finished hugging her, he turned to his grandfather. Reaching out to him, the pair also hugged. After righting himself, Mikleo turned to face his remaining friends, but more specifically, his boyfriend.

"Well? What do you think Sorey? Am I as stunning as I was during my coming of age ceremony?" Unabashedly, Mikleo gave a twirl, his blue tendrils flowing around him as he did so. And although he wasn't usually one to show off or brag, these circumstances were different. It was clear he felt good. And wanting a compliment from his boyfriend was only natural.

It would've been evident to anyone in the room that Sorey's answer was yes, even without him verbalizing it. That much was clear from the warmth in his eyes, and also the appreciative smile the shepherd gave the twirling seraph.

"Even more so," Sorey said, his grin growing. This caused more than a few of the Elysian seraphs to whoop and laugh in amusement. Everyone had always known about the two boys' feelings for each other, perhaps even before Sorey and Mikleo had been aware of it themselves. But they'd been waiting a long, long time to see the two finally admit it out loud.

"Ohohoho! Looks like you two finally figured it out!" Shiron laughed, throwing his head back and laughing loudly.

"Yes, when did you figure out you loved him Sorey?" Melody teased.

"Come on now! You know Mikleo had to spell it out for him!" Taccio chuckled, which made Sorey only blush deeper. He ignored them, though, and stood to join his boyfriend.

"You look amazing," he said openly, not afraid to compliment Mikleo in front of anyone present. "I'm so happy you have your cloak back," the shepherd stated, keenly aware of how much the water seraph had missed it. "Lailah and Gramps did an amazing job. It looks as good as new." And he gave a smile towards his foster parent and his Prime Lord too, who looked just as happy as they could be, too.

Mikleo smiled warmly at his Sorey. He felt his affections for him flood him. And simply having him stand near was nice. He loved his warmth and his scent. Had they been alone, he would have kissed him, but because there were so many family members watching, he was too embarrassed to. Even so, he didn't need to publicly kiss Sorey to have his affections seen. The shine in his lilac eyes as he gazed at his boyfriend was more than enough.

The evening wound down and came to a close. As the night grew dark, several of the other seraphs left to head to their own houses for the evening. Sorey and Mikleo walked Lailah, Zaveid and Edna over to Mikleo's house. Bringing them inside, they helped the team set up some blankets and pillows. There was only one bed after all, which Edna claimed. Zaveid valiantly offered Lailah the couch, and the wind seraph himself took the floor. But at least everyone had a blanket and a pillow.

"We'll be at Sorey's house, if anyone needs us for anything," Mikleo offered. And of course, as soon as he said it, a sly, mischievous smile spread over Zaveid's face.

"Oh, we wouldn't dream of bothering you two," he teased. "Some time alone with your boyfriend? In a proper house? In _his_ house? Yeah…I don't think we'll be needing anything."

A quick, hot blush came over Mikleo's cheeks as he glanced off and to the side indignantly. But all the same, he didn't deny anything.

"I wish you wouldn't be so vulgar," he said instead. Zaveid only chuckled.

"Good night love birds."

"Good night pervert."

And with that, Sorey and Mikleo turned and stepped back outside in order to head back to Sorey's house.

Sorey slipped his hand into Mikleo's as they stepped outside, looking at his beautiful boyfriend as they walked. The evening had gone so well, and everything had been so wonderful. And the young shepherd couldn't stop thinking about the warmth those lilac eyes had held for him, and for him alone. Mikleo was so wonderful, and Sorey couldn't get enough of being looked at like he was something special.

The sky above them was lit with thousands of stars, each twinkling brightly as Sorey gazed up at them. The shepherd took a deep, long breath, inhaling the scent of their homeland, loving the feeling of the slight breeze that ruffled the feathers of his earrings, and the way the grass was so soft underneath his booted heels. His house was just up ahead. And this would be their first time there, alone, since they'd come together in Tolrin.

Sorey gave Mikleo's hand a squeeze, and wordlessly smiled at him. They both felt the affection flowing between them, and with everyone knowing about their relationship, he felt no need to hide anything or hold anything back.

"It's beautiful tonight," he said softly, catching the seraph's gaze. He, of course, meant more than just the stars and the moon...but Mikleo would know that. He'd know what else Sorey was thinking. How could he not, with the way the brunet was looking at him?

Mikleo felt his heart give a leap. Even though they'd loved each other for as long as he could remember, having Sorey look at him like that, with those green, shining eyes, still made their love for one another feel so new. And there was just something magical about the moment they suddenly found themselves in. With the cool, clear breeze ruffling Sorey's chocolate locks, and with the soft glow of the moon and stars against his smooth skin, it was almost like living in a story book.

_How many have what I have with Sorey?_ He suddenly wondered. And immediately he was convinced that the answer was none. It may have been selfish or foolish to think, but he didn't care: he couldn't imagine that anyone in all the world could possibly love as much as he was at that moment. Sorey filled him. And the power of that feeling was so great he wondered how his small body could even hold it all inside. His heart and soul felt like they could burst. And all they had done…was look at one another whist standing underneath a starry sky.

"It is," Mikleo agreed, his voice a bit airy. And as they stood in the blue grass, gently swaying in the mountain breeze, he dared not tear his gaze from his beloved's face. "I know I've said it before, but…I love you, Sorey. And I wish there were better words in existence for me to use to describe how much that's true. Nothing feels sufficient enough, and words are useless."

Reaching out his second hand, he encompassed Sorey's. With both around his palm, he squeezed.

Sorey's heart pounded. There was a quality about Mikleo at that moment that threatened to take his breath away. Maybe it was the way the seraph was looking at him, or maybe it was the way his hair glinted in the moonlight. Or maybe it was the sweet words that fell from his lips. Really, it didn't matter. Because at that moment, all Sorey wanted to think about, wanted to see, wanted to hear, was Mikleo.

He took his other hand and laid it on top of Mikleo's, smiling down at the slightly shorter youth. "I love you too. More than anything else in this world, or the next," the shepherd said, his expression even softer than the feathers Mikleo had fashioned into earrings for him all those years ago. "There really is no word that's good enough, close enough, for what we feel...is there?" he asked, his green eyes shining in the moonlight. "I'm so lucky."

For a long second, the two stood in silence, simply gazing at one another, their hearts pounding from within their chests. And at first, Mikleo waited for Sorey to kiss him. But then he realized: why should it always be Sorey to make the first move?

_I'm the one who confessed after all. And so, I should have the courage for this too._ Stealing himself, and holding his breath, Mikleo leaned in, tilting his chin upward to meet Sorey's taller lips. Then, lifting both arms, he wrapped them around the shepherd's back. Closing his eyes, he softly pressed his velvet lips into Sorey's.

Sorey's eyes fluttered closed as their lips met, then he wrapped his arms around Mikleo, pulling the shorter boy closer to his chest. He kissed back, loving the feeling of the seraph's soft lips on his own. And after a second, he raised one of his gloved hands and gently cupped Mikleo's face, brushing his thumb lightly across the water seraph's cheek, even as he continued to kiss his boyfriend under the light of a thousand stars. Every second was amazing, and Sorey really didn't want to stop.

A shooting star lit up the night sky overhead, but of course, both human and seraph alike missed it. Too enraptured, they saw nothing but each other. After kissing for several moments, Mikleo pulled back in order to gaze at his love's face. Smiling up at him, his lilac eyes shining as brightly as the heavens above them, he said,

"Let's go home."

Sorey nodded quickly in agreement, looking as happy as a person could be.

"Yeah. Home," he said, his voice soft. Wrapping a hand inside Mikleo's, the same as before, Sorey started forward, moving in tandem with his boyfriend, as they headed towards the shepherd's tiny abode. Honestly, it didn't matter if it was small and not nearly as nice as some of the places they'd stayed at during their travels. The home was theirs, and he was with Mikleo, and that's all that Sorey cared about.

Underneath the glittering sky and in the deep of the crisp night, the little house nestled in the mountains became filled with passion. If at all possible, it was even better than it had been in Tolrin. For here, at home in Elysia, it simply felt so right and so perfect. They were home. And being in Sorey's house, surrounded by his scent and his energy, Mikleo could do little more than fall into him.

The pair gripped at one another, fingers grasping at each other's backs, daring to never let the other go. Their sweat glistened in the dim light from the moon and stars filtering in through their open window. And the power behind the love Mikleo had felt just outside moments ago, was poured into his need for Sorey.

Smooth skin and silky hair sang a symphony between them, and as before, Mikleo could not keep himself quiet as his passion overtook him. Being with Sorey, being as close as two people could ever be, becoming one with each other, was the greatest dream he'd ever had. And it was so wondrous and so perfect and so fulfilling that he didn't want to stifle himself. Being with Sorey made him so free and was so liberating that he felt like he could fly. And so, as he had back in Tolrin, he let it all go, and he threw his head back squeezing his eyes shut as he let his body take control. And only a short time later, as it all built up into an unbearable, wonderful pressure, it all ended as the flood dams broke apart, releasing everything from within.

With a cry, the pair fell back against Sorey's sheets. Breathing heavily, and already feeling the exertion such strenuous activity took on his lithe body, Mikleo used what little strength he had left to crawl closer to Sorey's side. There, he snuggled in beside him, burying his nose against his neck and resting an arm across his bare chest.

He took several minutes just to breathe and to attempt to get his heart back down to a reasonable pace. But even as his body cooled, he felt the exhaustion. Despite being a seraph, and not needing sleep the same way humans did, that certainly didn't make up for the work-out they'd just done. Mikleo knew he'd fall asleep in mere moments. And before that happened, he of course wanted to whisper sweet nothings to the person he held in the center of his heart.

"I love you, Sorey," he said again. "I love you…so please…live as long as you can." And even though they were on high from their love making, it was also still clear that Mikleo's mind had drifted to Nadia. It hadn't been that long ago that such a traumatic event had occurred after all, and it would have been strange if the water seraph hadn't been thinking of her words and her warning.

Sorey was quick to wrap his arms around Mikleo, pulling him close as they basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking. His heart felt like it was going to pop out of his chest, and he felt the fatigue hit his very human body like a brick. But Mikleo's words...they called up quite a response in the young shepherd, and Sorey found himself clutching Mikleo all the more closer as he heard what the water seraph was saying.

"I love you too," he said. "So, so much," the green-eyed youth reassured, burying his face into Mikleo's silky hair, trying to take in as much of his lover as he could, even after they'd physically exhausted themselves. "I'll do everything I can, to be with you for as long as I can," he said, kissing the seraph's forehead gently, his heart still beating loudly within its confines.

And suddenly...Sorey was very afraid. He'd thought about it before, but...he didn't want to give this up. He couldn't bear the thought of one day leaving Mikleo. Their encounter with Nadia had shaken both of the young men to their cores, and the last thing he wanted to do was think about Mikleo all alone for centuries, mourning him for God only knew how long. Would he be like Nadia? Devastated for all the rest of time? Or was he stronger than that? Would he be able to eventually move on?

Sorey traced his hands across the firm muscles on Mikleo's back. His lover was thin, but there was definitely muscle underneath all of his silken skin. And as he caressed his love, who was quickly falling asleep in his arms, nestled snugly up against his chest, Sorey suddenly remembered the things he had learned not all that long ago in the library of Tolrin.

That book he had read, and all the ideas that had come to him after reading it: Sorey already knew that was the answer. He had known in that moment what it was he would ultimately need to do in order to rid the world of Heldalf and malevolence. And if he truly did become Maotelus's vessel…then perhaps he would cure more than just the earth and more than just hellions. Perhaps he could save Mikleo from a never ending existence of loneliness.

If it worked…the theory was that he would become a seraphim when it was all over, right? Because if he fell asleep for such a long time, slowly giving his energy to all the earth, than his human body would die. But attached to Maotelus…he wouldn't die completely. Instead he'd be transformed, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. And when he finally awoke…he could be with Mikleo forever. Mikleo wouldn't need to suffer.

The thought was bittersweet, for Sorey already knew that in order to take care of things long term, in order to take care of things permanently, it meant sacrifice in the short term. He had no idea how long it would take him to cleanse the earth. It would be a passive movement of energy that occurred without his knowing as he slept. And so there was no way to tell. And there was also know way to know…how long he would need to leave Mikleo alone. Ten years? Thirty? Fifty? No one had ever attempted such a thing, and so Sorey knew no one could give him the answer.

With a heavy sigh, and a slight tremble, Sorey buried his face into Mikleo's soft hair once again, and did his best to memorize that scent as best as he could. If his plan worked, once they faced Heldalf, it might be some time before he could have another night like this with his lover. But before anything was for certain, he had to go over it with Mikleo. That was his number one priority, now that he'd figured it out, or at least had an idea of what to do; he had to discuss it with him. He couldn't surprise him with something so huge at the last second. It wasn't going to be a happy conversation, but...

If he could have an eternity with Mikleo, wouldn't the risk be worth it? He could only hope his love would think so too. Finally, after hours of mulling things over in his mind, the shepherd fell asleep, allowing himself to get at least a couple of hours of rest. He'd need it, if he was going to be worth anything the next day. The last thoughts the brunet thought about as he fell asleep was how he wouldn't let Mikleo suffer like Nadia had, and once again, how he'd do anything to make their dream of being together for as long as possible a reality.

The next morning, Mikleo, of course, was the one to wake up first. Being a seraphim and having a human companion, he was used to this. And so, at first, he wasn't concerned. For a long time, Mikleo was content to lie beside Sorey. Satisfied to be quiet and let his shepherd sleep, Mikleo watched him breathe for over an hour.

Sorey was sometimes cutest when he slept. His face was slack and clear of all thought. And his eyelashes always seemed longer than they actually where when his eyes were closed. His mouth was closed for once, and Mikleo smiled to himself when he thought about how he somewhat missed his usual dribble of drool.

Mikleo passed the time by playing with Sorey's hair between his fingers, and then by trailing a pale finger over his chest. But eventually, after the second hour, he thought perhaps he should at least get up and get dressed. He did so, pulling on all his clothes, including his freshly repaired blue cloak. But then, as always, he found himself with no desire to go anywhere or do anything without Sorey by his side. And so, he crawled back into bed and laid back down, this time fully clothed.

There, he once more watched Sorey sleep, wondering when he would wake. As cute as Sorey was when he was resting, Mikleo found himself wishing he'd get up so he could see his green eyes crinkle with delight when he smiled.

It wasn't long after Mikleo lay back down that Sorey finally woke up. The first thing he did was open his eyes, blinking a few times, trying to come to his senses. As soon as he could, he turned to look for Mikleo, who was not nestled in his arms, like he had been when he went to sleep. But all the shepherd had to do was turn his head, and there was his love. It relieved him instantly.

"Hey," he said with a smile, his voice crackling a little as his body adjusted to waking life. "Good morning," Sorey greeted with a smile, before promptly yawning widely. He at least had the manners to cover his mouth. "How long were you waiting for me to wake up?" he asked, hoping it wasn't too long. Sorey had a terrible habit of sleeping in, leaving Mikleo to wait around for him. He felt guilty about that.

"Just a few hours," Mikleo responded honestly. But really, it wasn't a response Sorey wasn't used too. Mikleo often times would be awake while he slept. And Mikleo spent most of that time simply watching over him.

"That's good," Sorey said, then yawned again, stretching his arms over his head to make himself wake up a little more. Then he grinned, and scooted over closer towards his seraph boyfriend, and promptly kissed him good morning. It then became very aware to Sorey that he was still very naked, thanks to their activities the night before. And Mikleo was dressed and groomed and looking as fantastic as ever. Looking sheepish, he peered over at the water seraph.

"I guess I should get dressed too," he said, sounding a little sad. Sorey liked lounging around in the bed. But...they had things they needed to do. And...Sorey realized, he had to figure out how to tell Mikleo about his plan. When was a good time for that? How exactly does someone...say something like what he needed to say? It was going to be hard. And Sorey was dreading it.

Sorey was terrible at hiding his feelings and he was so honest and so guileless that he always brandished his emotions right out on his sleeve for all to see. And of course, Mikleo was even better at reading him than everyone else. He saw the furrow in his brow and the worry in his green eyes.

"What's the matter?" Mikleo asked as he sat up. "Are you worried about Gramps or Symonne?" And of course, seeing Sorey worry always made Mikleo worry too. His face changed to match his love's as he peered at him with concerned lilac eyes.

Mikleo, of course, was very attentive to his moods. And Sorey had no intentions of hiding anything from him. That would be completely against his morals and his personality. And so, Sorey frowned, and made a face like he was thinking very hard about something.

"I was up late last night thinking about a lot of things," he began. "More specifically, what we should do about Maotelus," Sorey finished. "I'm worried about that. I...I think I came up with an idea, or at least a theory," he began. "I want to talk to you about it later," he admitted. "I just...have to figure out how to phrase what I'm thinking," Sorey finished, looking at Mikleo apologetically. He had to gear himself up for this talk. And at the very least...he shouldn't be naked.

Mikleo was quiet for a moment as he regarded Sorey, but then, he slowly nodded.

"Ok," he agreed simply. He knew Sorey, and he trusted him, and he understood that he would tell him properly what he was thinking and when the time was right. But for right now, Sorey wasn't ready. Mikleo understood that. After all, it wasn't all that long ago when he himself had a huge secret that he couldn't yet reveal because the timing wasn't right. And Sorey had been perfect and patient with him. Mikleo wanted to do the same for him.

"Do you need breakfast? You must be hungry by now."

Sorey nodded, feeling grateful that Mikleo was giving him some time to process everything and figure out how to say what he needed to say. It was important.

"Thank you Mikleo, and yes," he agreed, right as his tummy let out a gurgle of protest. True to his cheerful nature, he just smiled, and gave his boyfriend an embarrassed look.

"You know me so well," he stated, doing his best to chuckle, before swinging his legs over the side of the bed, so he could locate his clothes. He turned to look at his lover as he dressed.

"I'm so hungry, I don't even care what food there is here," the shepherd said, although he was wondering if there was prickleboar bacon. That would be really great right about now, he thought.

"Well then we'll have to find you something," Mikleo responded with a gentle smile. Getting up and out of bed, he moved to Sorey's side to help him get ready.

After they were both properly dressed and ready to go, they stepped outside. And of course, because Sorey was human, he was the last one to wake up. Everyone else in the village was already present, and the pair spotted their friends chatting with their relatives. Zaveid, Edna, and Lailah were all scattered throughout the village entertaining themselves in one way or another. They stopped by and said hello, but didn't wait long. Explaining that Sorey needed food, the seraphim understood and allowed them to head to their Gramp's house. There, they found the food they needed.

Gramps was prepared. And having known that his human son would need breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day, he'd gone out and went hunting for him. And the other seraphim, as caring as always, had helped him gather some fruit, veggies and herbs. Gramps made his sons a delicious meal and then sat down and ate together with them.

Afterward, Mikleo yet again started to bring up the subject of Heldalf and his location, but for the second time Gramps managed to brush him off, instead insisting that the boys go outside and enjoy their day. He practically shoved them back outside, closing the door behind them. Mikleo stood on the stoop, his arms crossed, a perturbed expression on his smooth face as he turned to Sorey.

"He knows something," he said outright. "He may even know Heldalf's exact location. I understand that he's trying to keep us safe, but we can't stay here for much longer. People are depending on us."

"They are definitely depending on us," Sorey said, feeling a tightening in his chest, because even as he thought of Heldalf, he thought of his plan on how to deal with Maotelus, and he immediately started to feel anxious about it. "I know Gramps just wants to protect us, but...there are things we have to do," the brunet said, green eyes looking more stressed than usual.

"Maybe we can wheedle it out of him as the day goes by," Sorey suggested, but knew, even as he said it, the chances of that were slim. With a frown, the gentle-hearted youth kicked at an acorn on the ground, sending it skittering several feet away.

Delaying his conversation with Mikleo any longer was probably pointless. They'd eaten, and they were all alone, and their teammates were off doing their own thing. Maybe it would be better to go ahead and tell Mikleo his plan now. Stalling, delaying it for any longer would be cruel to his boyfriend, and Sorey didn't want to feel like he was hiding anything from his love. He just couldn't be that type of person. So, with a sigh, he turned to look to his boyfriend, looking worried.

"Since the others are busy doing their own things, maybe we could talk?" Sorey asked. "I still want to go over my plan about how to deal with Maotelus with you, and see what you think about it," he said. "You...wanna go for a walk?" he asked. The implication was clear: he didn't want to talk about it where anyone else could overhear their plan. Mikleo had to be the first to hear about it, because, well, it was a plan that could potentially leave him alone for a year or two. Maybe even ten, if it was really bad. And Sorey hated it, but he just couldn't think of any other way to deal with Maotelus.

Mikleo couldn't help it, he suddenly felt nervous. He knew he was nervous because Sorey was nervous. He could easily see it on his sweet face, and hear it in his hesitant voice. And it was a rare moment in their history together to see him so anxious. Sorey had always been a very easy going type of person. As naïve as he was, it was difficult to get him to worry about much of anything. And that was why Mikleo had always been the one to worry enough for the both of them.

"…ok," Mikleo said quietly in response to his request for a walk. He knew Sorey must've wanted to get him alone somewhere. And if he wanted to talk to him alone, then…was it something really bad? He didn't know. But if it was, maybe they could just figure out something else together.

_I'll take care of whatever it is,_ he told himself. _He's probably come up with some crazy cockamamie scheme. I'll just…set him straight after he tells me, that's all._

Comforting himself with his thoughts, he stepped up next to Sorey. Then, reaching out, he gently took his hand in his.

"Lead the way, Shepherd." He smiled softly up at his love as he teased him.

The second he felt Mikleo's hand slip into his, Sorey felt at least a little better. The familiar contact soothed his nerves, and suddenly he felt sort of foolish for being so scared. They'd figure this out, together. He knew Mikleo would set him straight if his idea was too outrageous, or didn't make sense, or if it was plain out of the question. For all Sorey knew, his idea was no good. But still, it was worth talking to him about. And so, feeling at least a little better, the shepherd quietly led them outside of Elysia and into a little forest clearing not far from the rolling hills near their village's gate.

Sorey took a moment to look around, admiring the scenery, and also to double check that no one else was around. Once he was sure they were indeed alone, he looked again to Mikleo, suddenly uncertain about how to start. The shepherd shifted his weight back onto one foot, and then onto the other, unsure of himself. But, he knew he had to start somewhere, and so he just started talking, trusting that Mikleo would be able to follow along with his rambles.

"I don't...I don't even know if this idea is any good or not. I think the theory is sound, and feasible, but...I trust you to tell me what you think about it, and if I've come up with some sort of ridiculous plan," Sorey said, feeling his heartbeat pick up the pace.

"Like I said...after last night, I stayed up late thinking," he said. "Over a lot of things. Like...what to do about Maotelus. And how...I could possibly spent more time with you," he began. "We did a lot of reading back in Tolrin at the library, and it's taken a little while for this idea to formulate in my head, but…" he stopped, and his green eyes darkened in his seriousness.

"My first initial thought was...I could try to purify Maotelus, and moreover, the land itself, to get rid of the traces of malevolence that would linger even after his purification," he said. "You know how, every time I try to purify a human, I take on their burdens and I...sometimes get glimpses of what they've gone through?" he asked, knowing fully good and well that Mikleo did indeed know that.

"I know that it takes a considerable amount of energy to do that. And that...to take on such a burden could potentially...kill me," he said, wincing even as he said it, daring to meet Mikleo's amethyst eyes.

"But then, I started to remember what Lailah said after we'd finished one particularly difficult fight with a hellion. About how...sometimes, when the conditions are right, and the human has enough resonance with the seraphim, they turn into seraphim themselves instead of dying. Like what happened to you, when you were a baby. And I thought about...how to make it so other people could sense seraphim. How I could make it so that humans, and seraphim, can live side by side, as one," Sorey said, aware that his thoughts weren't necessarily the best organized. But he was nervous, and it showed.

"Remember, how I had to basically block out most of my senses for Alisha to hear you and Lailah at the very start of our journey?" Sorey asked, green eyes wide and full of apprehension.

"What if...what if I...went to sleep? For a while," he said. "Maybe a couple of years. That...that could give me the time needed to purify Maotelus and the land, and...when I woke up...maybe I wouldn't...be human," he suggested, wearing the most nervous expression on his face that Mikleo would've ever seen.

"I know it's a long shot, but...it's all I've been able to come up with," Sorey started. "And...I'd do anything...if it meant I could spend more than just this human lifetime with you," he said, looking earnest, even if also anxious. "Maybe there's a way...for me to purify the land and Maotelus, and make it so I'm a seraph too," he finished, swallowing with difficulty, as the lump in his throat made the reflexive action quite uncomfortable indeed. "This way...we wouldn't have just this one, short life of mine," he said, his heart wrenching inside of his chest. "I...I want as much time as we can have..."

Mikleo was completely silent. He stood still, his face slack and blank as Sorey rambled on. He kept his violet eyes fixated to his love. And when Sorey finished, he didn't move for the longest time. He didn't speak, because he couldn't. And he couldn't because Sorey had presented his idea in such a convoluted way that Mikleo seriously had to think through everything he'd just been told to even fully understand what was being said to him. And even after he thought about it, he knew he had to double check. Because if Sorey was saying what he thought he was saying…

Mikleo licked his lips. Then very carefully and slowly he spoke.

"You're saying…you're telling me that both Maotelus and the earth need to be purified after we defeat Heldalf. We need to cleanse them both from all the malevolence he's corrupted them with. If we don't…malevolence will infect others, possibly giving rise to another Heldalf. And if Maotelus isn't freed then the world can never be a place where seraphim and humans can live together. All we've done will be for nothing…"

Mikleo lifted a hand so that he could hold onto his opposite arm. Then glancing off and to the side, he tried to reorganize the jumble of other information Sorey had just given him.

"And you're wanting to achieve this goal by allowing Maotelus to use you as his vessel…" He stared at the clouds floating by beside them. They were so pure and white and fluffy. Not so much unlike Sorey. "If you were his vessel, your purity would cleanse him over time. And once he was purified…the earth would become purified in turn. But…this would send you into a coma. And you would sleep for however long it would take you to achieve these goals. But…more over…" He turned to face Sorey, his lilac eyes filling with the emotions he was clearly trying his best to hold back. "…you could die doing something like that. Such a thing…a thing like that…Maotelus would drain your energy slowly over time. And eventually you'd…you would…"

He turned away again, this time closing his eyes as he struggled to keep his usual cool demeanor intact.

"There's no guarantee you'd come back as a seraphim. Even with as pure and naïve as you are. There's just no guarantee…"

Sorey had waited for Mikleo to respond, wondering silently as he watched his love ponder over all the things he'd just said. The brunet knew he'd word-vomited; he hadn't been able to help it. It was all so nerve-wracking to talk about.

But, eventually, Mikleo had indeed responded, and it was clear he understood exactly what Sorey had been trying to say - and then some. He'd filled in the gaps, and had known what the shepherd had left out in his hurried rambling.

And it was clear...Mikleo didn't necessarily like what he had been told. But Sorey continued onward anyway.

"I know," he said, his voice soft and sad. "I know there's no guarantee. But...it might be our only chance at doing what we have to for the rest of the world, and also...for us to have our dream," he said, his green eyes filled with emotion.

"I know it's a radical idea. And a risky one, at that. But...I think it could work," he said, looking towards Mikleo again. "I said it before, but...I'd do anything if it meant we could be together longer."

"Don't!" Mikleo suddenly shouted, without even meaning too, his face contorting. But of course, as soon as he raised his voice he regretted it. He'd startled Sorey, and he already saw his face changing into one of sadness, and he never wanted that.

"I'm sorry…" he immediately apologized. "I just…I don't…don't want you getting my hopes up like that. I don't want…I don't want you promising me things you can't give me." He closed his eyes again and concentrated on his breathing. His insides were just churning and writhing and it was taking all he was to try and keep still on the surface. He took a few seconds to simply breathe some more and calm his nerves.

"Sorey…this plan of yours…" He bravely turned to face him once more. "It's solid. Everything you've told me sounds like it should work in theory, as you claim. And really I…I can't think of any other way to cleanse Maotelus or the earth. I thought that was something we'd need to figure out later. But your plan…I think…I think we _have_ to do it. As risky as it sounds. If we don't follow through…then there isn't even a point in facing Heldalf…"

Sorey didn't know what was worse: knowing how much his suggestion was hurting Mikleo, or having to watch him try to mask his convoluted feelings. Sorey's face fell, and the shepherd was obviously crestfallen. It didn't matter if Mikleo apologized or not: this situation sucked for both of them. Sorey knew better than to think his boyfriend was angry with him; he just...didn't want any false hope. All the same, Sorey would've given anything to cheer him up or make him more hopeful about the situation.

The difficulty with that was the simple fact that Mikleo was right: there was no guarantee he'd turn into a seraph. And both of them knew that. And so, his boyfriend had chosen to focus on the other details of Sorey's plan, letting him know, despite the pain the water seraph was undoubtedly feeling, that his plan at least had merit. It might even work.

The anxious shepherd didn't know what else to do but acknowledge Mikleo's response. He didn't know what to say, or what to do to make it better. And that would've been very clear to Mikleo, who knew Sorey like the back of his hand.

"If...if you think it has promise, then...I guess that's what we should do." And Sorey exhaled, looking pained, and closed his eyes. He took several breaths, and he clenched his hand which hung loosely by his side, trying to get in control of his own emotions.

When he reopened his eyes, Mikleo would be able to see a world of emotions in his leaf-green eyes. "I'll do my best, Mikleo," he promised. "I don't know if...anything will work. But I'll give it my all." And that was really all he could do.

"I know you will," Mikleo responded, almost automatically. Because of course Sorey would do his best. He did his best in everything. And he did all he could for everyone. He'd become the shepherd knowing what kind of burdens he'd be taking on. Lailah had clearly warned him, and Mikleo had warned him too. And now that it was coming to an end, he almost wished that they had never started their journey at all.

…almost.

Because as soon as he felt the regret creep in, he corrected himself. He knew his regrets weren't totally true. He'd loved the journey he'd taken with Sorey. More than anything. All of their adventures and all of their experiences and all of the ruins they'd explored together: he wouldn't have traded it for anything. They'd grown closer because of it. And truthfully, if they had never left the village, Mikleo didn't know if they ever could have gotten together. They'd needed to get out on their own. They'd needed to grow, first separately, and then together as one.

And if personal reasons weren't enough, Mikleo knew it was all much bigger than just him. He wasn't foolish enough or selfish enough to think so. Sorey was the shepherd. And he was the shepherd for a reason. Mikleo was convinced that no other human on all of the earth could have done what Sorey had done. And certainly none could do what he was planning on doing. No one else would be pure enough, courageous enough, selfless enough…adorable enough…

No. Only Sorey could have been this worlds shepherd in this time of chaos. He was the only one with the resonance to do so, the only one who could see the seraphim. The only one who could _love_ the seraphim. Sorey…Sorey was indeed the world's only hope. Mikleo believed it and he knew it in his heart. And so…there was no way he could tell him no. There was no way he could doom the world just so he could have a little more time with his human boyfriend, who of course was mortal and so for as much as he knew would drop dead from a heart attack or aneurism tomorrow.

There were no guarantees, like he'd just said. And so, even if he did beg Sorey not to go through with his plan, as he wanted to, even if he was selfish enough to choose his boyfriend over everyone else's lives…who was to say he'd get another sixty years with him? It could have been fifty, or thirty, or two.

_I can't ask him not to do it,_ he thought, repeating what he already knew. _I can't be the downfall of both humans and seraphim alike. I can't be the reason the world falls into corruption, becoming drowned in a sea of malevolence._

And so, even as he struggled to contain the rising panic inside of him, he turned and looked to Sorey. As bravely and as stalwartly as he possibly could, he lifted his chin. Then, he smiled. And even though he was hiding an ocean of pain, the smile was real and genuine. For in a moment like this, what else could a seraph do but smile for the human boy he loved so dearly?

"I'll support you," he said, as he had so many times before. "I believe in you, and I'll do all I can to help. Just let me know what you need."

It was just too much. Mikleo was being so sweet, and so supportive, even though Sorey knew perfectly good and well how much he was suffering inside.

The shepherd's expression morphed from anxiety into one of pain, and he felt himself tremble as he stood there in front of his lover for one, two, three seconds. And then, he took a breath, and rushed forward, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and pulling him tight.

"You're too sweet," he said. "Y-you... Mikleo..." And the brunet buried his face into the shorter boy's shoulder.

He didn't know if he should apologize or not, but he felt like he should. And he didn't want to tell the other boy how scared he was. He trusted that the water seraph knew. And truthfully, he'd half-expected Mikleo to tell him his plan was rubbish anyway. Or to protest to his idea, or to demand that Sorey not follow through with it.

But of course...Mikleo would never put himself first. He was always responsible, always taking care of someone else. And Sorey felt absolutely wretched that he was doing the same thing now. Of all times for Mikleo to display some selfishness...well, most people would have now. But the seraph was good and kind and entirely too understanding for his own good. And all Sorey wanted to do was ease his pain and reassure his lover that things would be alright. But he knew he couldn't. They could all die during the final battle, and their efforts would've been for naught. And so…Sorey was afraid.

When Sorey rushed forward, embracing him wholly, it threatened to break through Mikleo's careful demeanor. Feeling his arms around him, feeling the warmth from his body, and inhaling that oh so wonderful scent of his, threatened to break him. But through some miracle, Mikleo held onto himself.

_I can't fall apart now,_ he told himself firmly. _Sorey's scared. He needs me more than ever. And he loves me so much. If I start to crumble in front of him…he'll lose his courage. He won't have the heart to go through with his plan if he knows how much it'll hurt me. I have to hold it together. At least for now. There's always time to fall apart later._

And so, as always, Mikleo did what was needed of him. And in that moment, that meant supporting his shepherd.

He reached out his arms, wrapping them up and around Sorey's back. He forbid his tears from forming, demanding his eyes remain dry. And as he held onto his love, he banished any thoughts about losing him or being alone from creeping into his mind. If he thought about it at all…even a little…he wouldn't make it. And so, instead, he focused on caring for his love instead.

"You're trembling…" he said gently. Lifting a hand, he slid his lithe, smooth, fingers up and into Sorey's dark locks to comfort him. And it felt so good to be this close to him, even despite circumstances. "Please don't cry…" he whispered into his ear. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. And we'll do this together, the same way we've always done everything before."

Truly, the shepherd didn't know how Mikleo was holding it together, but somehow he was. And as always, he knew exactly what to say to make him feel better. Sorey took in a deep breath of air, burying his nose into Mikleo's shoulder, and gave off one more shudder. The feeling of the slighter youth pressed into him calmed him considerably. And hearing the seraph's soothing, calm words made him believe that maybe everything would be okay.

They were together. They'd do this together. He wasn't alone. And if he had anything to do with it, he wouldn't leave Mikleo alone forever either. Sorey knew he had to believe in himself. Mikleo believed in him. And so he needed to have that same fortitude, that same genuine support for himself that his beloved boyfriend felt in him.

With a squeeze, Sorey let go, and pulled back. It was obvious a few tears had escaped his eyes, but he did his best to keep it together.

"Thanks Mikleo," he said. "For believing in me. We'll...we'll get through this together," he agreed, "like you said." And he tried to smile. He knew Mikleo hated to see him sad. "We'll do our best."

Mikleo nodded, "yes," he said softly. "If anyone can do this you can. _We_ can. I'll break the curse on Heldalf and bestow a blessing on him. Then you can purify him and we'll all defeat him together as a team. Then afterward…you can approach Maotelus, become his vessel and fall asleep." He looked to Sorey once more. "I'll just wait for you. That's all. The way I always do."

Mikleo said it as if it was no big deal, but they both knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. All the same, there was no way in hell Mikleo would be able to talk about it in any other way.

Silence fell between them, and Mikleo knew that Sorey simply didn't know what else to say to him, or what to do for that matter. There was really nothing else _to_ say or do. And so, Mikleo turned around and away from his shepherd.

"If this is all settled, there's something I wanted to do in Elysia before we get ready to leave. You should find the other's and talk to them about our plans. I'll meet up with you later." And without waiting for a response from Sorey, he started to walk away, his blue tails looking like ribbons as they caught in a breeze behind him.


End file.
